Only You
by Meghannna
Summary: Rory and Paris and their room mate live in New York. They end up running into two guys from the past... who? The story is better than the summary so please Read an Review!
1. Chapter 1

Rory walked down the hall of her apartment building. Her New York apartment was small and crowded with two other girls sharing it with her. Rory had graduated from Yale three years earlier and immediately moved to New York afterwards to work at the _New York Times. _Her job was tedious and she really missed Stars Hollow and her family, but she loved New York and the life that she was living.

As she walked onto the sidewalk she noticed a familiar face, but she did nothing about it. When she saw the face it was quick, but it left a mark as he walked down to the subway. Today was a normal day off for Rory. It was her first Wednesday off in a long time, usually she had the weekends off. Every Saturday, she would go to the record store to buy a new record or CD that she didn't have yet. The man behind the counter would always greet her in a friendly way.

Since Rory was working this Saturday, she decided that today was a good day to go to the record store. She usually took the subway, but since it was such a nice day out she decided to walk the eleven blocks to get to the record store. Rory had her car with her in New York, but only drove when it was completely necessary. Her room mate, Sarah, caught up with her. "Hey Ror," she said. "Is it cool if I come with you? Paris is driving me crazy."

"Yeah, sure. I'm walking though, is that OK?" Rory asked as she and Sarah turned the corner.

"Fine by me." It was funny how Paris was living with Rory. They lived together all through Yale and now they worked together and lived together in a small two bedroom apartment with Sarah. Rory and Sarah became friends fast while Paris still didn't like her after two years, but Paris rarely liked anybody.

As Rory and Sarah turned another corner, four blocks away from their apartment, Rory spotted Washington Square Park. A faint memory from years ago brought Rory to a smile, and Sarah noticed it. "What's up with the smile?" Sarah asked.

"It's just the park. It brings back memories from when I was seventeen," Rory explained.

"What happened at the park when you were seventeen?" Sarah asked, now curious.

"Well, I skipped school one day and got on a bus for New York, the day of my mothers graduation. When I got here, I had no idea how to get to Washington Square Park, but I had to get there. See, I was surprising this kid who had made a huge impression on me before he left Stars Hollow to move here. I showed up at the park and there he was, just reading," Rory explained while keeping her eyes on the park.

"What was his name?" Sarah asked as they turned onto another street.

Rory now looked at Sarah and said, "Jess Mariano." That was all that Rory had to say for Sarah to understand. She had heard a lot about all of the antics that Jess had pulled for and with Rory.

Turning onto the street where the record store is, Rory spotted the same face she had seen when she left her apartment building. The man was leaving the record store, which should have told Rory who it was, but she didn't get it. He walked out too quickly for her to actually see who it was and by the time that they had reached the store he was already around the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sarah! Use the bathmat when you get out of the shower! The water is practically up to my ankles," Paris yelled to Sarah, who was looking through the refrigerator, while Rory walked out of her bedroom.

"Paris, get over it. I'm going to work. Paris, leave Sarah alone. Just stay in your room until you have to go to work, please," Rory pleaded with Paris.

"Fine, but I can't stand living in a swamp!" Paris said before she went into her room and slammed the door.

"Bye Sarah," Rory said.

"Bye Rory. I didn't mean to not use the bathmat. I accidentally forgot to," Sarah explained.

"I know, Sarah. Don't pay any attention to Paris," Rory said before politely leaving her apartment.

When Rory left for work that Friday morning, she stopped to get coffee. When she stepped into the coffee place she saw two people that she knew from Stars Hollow, but when she saw them she left. She left in a really awkward way, she didn't want Jess Mariano or Dave Rygalski to see her. Her ex-boyfriend and Lane's ex-boyfriend would just be a really tough meeting for the first thing in the morning.

Rory went without her coffee until she got to work and drank the crappy office coffee. Rory took her coffee back to her cubicle. Minutes later Paris showed up in front of Rory's face, holding her own cup of coffee. "So, I saw you leaving the Coffee Bean this morning. What was that about?" Paris asked, sipping her coffee.

"Before I even got to order my coffee I saw a couple of people that I don't think I can deal with," Rory explained, sipping her own coffee.

"Who could you have seen at eight o'clock in the morning? Nobody but us is up at eight o'clock in the morning."

"Well, lets see, Jess Mariano, my ex-boyfriend, and Dave Rygalski, Lane's ex-boyfriend, are apparently up at eight o'clock in the morning."

"No way! Have you seen them at all since we've moved here?" Paris asked.

"No, it's the first time that I've seen Jess in like, five years. I just don't know if I can see him again or talk to him, it'd be way too weird, Paris."

"Rory, I have to work. Talk to Sarah about this later," Paris said before turning around and walking away.

"OK," Rory said, a little bit confused, to her computer. She started doing some research, but got distracted and decided to call Lorelai. "Mom, I had a really bad morning!" Rory said into the phone once her mom had answered.

"Honey, what happened?" Lorelai asked.

"When I went to get my coffee..." Rory trailed off.

"What happened when you went to get your coffee?"

"I saw a couple of people that I didn't necessarily want to see!"

"Who? Do I know them?"

"Yes, they're two guys that we knew from Stars Hollow. It was Jess and Dave. Mom, it was so weird."

"Well, what did they say?"

"See, I left before they had the option of seeing me. But why did I see them now? I've lived her three years and have never seen them, why today?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"There are eight million people in that city. It was just a freak coincidence today. Honey, don't dwell on this. Don't let it get to you. Maybe if you see them again, you could talk to them," Lorelai pushed on her daughter, only trying to be supportive.

"OK, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Honey. I'll call you later."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi," Rory said to Dave Rygalski in the Coffee Bean that day after work.

"Oh my God. Hi Rory. How've you been?" He asked his old acquaintance.

"I've been really good. I'm working at the _New York Times_, so I'm pretty happy. How about you?"

"I'm great. I'm working as a messenger with uh..." Dave said trailing off, drinking his coffee.

"With Jess? I saw you guys together earlier today."

"Yeah, Jess and I hung out in California and then he moved here and when I was done with school, I got a job with him while I'm still doing the music thing with a new band."

"Wow, good for you. But, hey I have to get some coffee. Maybe I'll see you again sometime," Rory said as Dave smiled, waved, and walked away.

Rory got the coffee that she never got to get that morning. When she left the Coffee Bean ten minutes later, she walked to the subway. She had to get to the bank, and she didn't have time to walk. When she got down the stairs, she saw Jess. She almost turned to walk back up the stairs, but she decided to take her mom's advice, sort of. She wanted to wait for him to say something to her.

At first, Jess didn't even notice her. When he did he did a double-take and Rory turned her head to hide her face. Moments later, Jess was standing in front of her with one of his trademark smirks wiped across his face.

"Hi Jess," Rory said turning her head to look at him.

"Hi Rory. Dave told me that you guys had talked. He said that you were good. That's good," he said as the train pulled up.

"I _just _spoke to Dave. How did he tell you already?" Rory asked while she and Jess boarded.

"I saw him before I came down here. So you're good?"

"Yeah, what about you? Are you good?"

"I'm very good. Who are you living with down here?"

"Actually, I'm living with Paris and a girl named Sarah. You remember Paris?"

"Who could ever forget Paris," Jess said as the train made a stop. After a pause Jess said, "This is weird. I'm kind of nervous."

"Definitely weird. Don't worry, it's inevitable for this to be weird and I'm a little nervous too," Rory said as the train started back up.

"Yeah, I guess so. What's your stop anyways?"

"I'm getting off at 39th street. I have to get to the bank."

"I'm getting off at 39th too. I have to get to the bookstore and then I'm going to see Dave's band play."

"Very cool. So how long have you been living here?" Rory asked Jess.

"Five years. What about you? A few months?"

"No, three years actually. Right after Paris and I graduated we got jobs at the _New York Times_. I've been working there ever since," Rory explained.

"Wow, and we've never seen each other. That's crazy. Well, maybe not crazy, eight million people. But, we did always seem to find each other before," Jess said while the train stopped at the 39th street stop.

"Yeah, we did always find each other, or at least you'd find me," Rory said while she and Jess got off of the train and walked up to the street.

"Yeah, well I guess that I should let you go now."

"Maybe I could call you sometime, we could talk again or something."

"You could meet me at the club for Dave's band tonight, if you want to, I mean. It's the club on 36th street, called Cappy's, only if you want to," Jess suggested right before they almost parted ways.

"Yeah, sounds great. What time?"

"Eight to midnight, but Dave goes on at nine-thirty."

"OK, Jess, I'll definitely be there. I might bring a friend too, is that OK?"

"Yeah, it's perfect. Bye Rory," Jess said as he turned one way and Rory turned towards the bank.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sarah?" Rory called out as she walked into her apartment.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sarah said as she turned out of the bathroom.

"I'm going to the club, called Cappy's, tonight. Do you want to come? You can meet some of my old friends. Paris can come too if she wants," Rory told Sarah as they sat down on the couch, also known as Sarah's bed.

"The club on 36th? I love that place."

"Yeah, that's the place. We can leave at seven forty-five."

"Now I have a reason to dress up. Where is Paris anyways?" Sarah asked.

"I'm in my room. Well, I was," Paris said as she walked out of her room.

"Do you want to come out with us tonight?" Rory asked Paris as she sat down with Rory and Sarah.

"Sure, but who are these old friends? Anybody I know?" Paris asked.

"Maybe. I'm going to get ready. Leave at seven forty-five?"

"Yeah," Sarah answered.

"Seven forty-five," Paris agreed.

At seven fifty the girls met in front of the TV and left, ready to have fun. They left their building and walking onto the sidewalk Paris asked, "So, who are these people that we're meeting?"

"Just people from Stars Hollow. It's not a big deal," Rory answered.

"If it's not a big deal, then why were you so upset this morning when you saw them?" Paris asked as they turned a corner.

"Wait, you know who it is? Who did you see this morning?" Sarah asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Nobody, you'll meet them tonight anyways. And Paris, I'm a little better now. I talked to my mom and I talked to them. It's really not a big deal anymore. You'll see, it will be somewhat normal."

"It's always going to be weird with you two. You know that, why even try to push a friendship?" Paris asked. Rory ignored her. Sarah was confused the entire way to the club. Rory and Paris weren't talking, but neither was Sarah.

"Rory, what is going on?" Sarah asked after a long silence.

"Nothing really. You'll probably get a better understanding once we get into the club. It's just hard to explain. Just have fun tonight," Rory said as they all turned onto the 36th street. "One of my friends is in one of the bands thats playing tonight. It will be good."

"OK," Sarah said.


	5. Chapter 5

While the girls walked into Cappy's, Rory was being watched by Sarah and Paris. Rory tried to ignore it until Paris pointed at Jess. "Paris!"

"Sorry. I knew it would be him, though. Why couldn't you just admit it?" Paris asked.

"It's not a big deal. Plus, he's coming over here, just stop," Rory said before smiling at Jess, who was now standing in front of them. "Hi Jess."

"Hi Rory. How are you?" Jess asked.

"I'm great. Jess, you remember Paris, and this is our friend, Sarah," Rory introduced.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you again. It's nice to meet you, Sarah," he said, extending his hand.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you," Sarah said. She was still in awe after realizing who she was meeting. She shook Jess' hand and smiled as Dave came over to the group.

"Hey Dave," Rory said.

"Hi Rory. Hey Jess," Dave said back.

"Hey Dave," Jess said.

"Dave, this is Paris and Sarah, my friends and room mates," Rory introduced again.

"Wow, it's nice to meet you guys. I got to go confer with the band. We go on in an hour," Dave explained. He walked away and Sarah watched him the entire time. Both Paris and Rory noticed.

Paris exclaimed, "Sarah."

"What?" She asked.

"Never mind. I'm going to get a drink. Anybody want anything?" Paris asked.

"Beer," Rory said.

"Same," Jess answered.

"Great, I'll be right back," Paris said before Sarah could even answer.

"So, Rory, how have you been liking New York?" Jess asked when Paris left.

"I love it. The past three years have been amazing," Rory answered.

"Do you still keep in touch with Lorelai?"

"Yeah, I talked to her today. Do you still keep in touch with Luke?"

"Yeah, I talked to him last week, I think," Jess answered. "Sarah, how long have you been living here?"

"All my life. I moved in with Rory and Paris two years ago," Sarah answered, now looking at Jess.

"Nice. They're good people," Jess explained, looking at Rory.

"Yeah, we try," Rory said before the three started laughing.

Paris came back with Rory's and Jess' beers. "Thanks Paris," Jess said before taking a swig of his beer. Rory nodded and took a drink of her own.

"No problem," Paris said. The DJ stopped playing music and announced that a band was starting. The band started and Jess and Rory sat down at an empty table and Sarah and Paris sat down with them. Dave walked over to the table where nobody was talking, just listening to the music and taking sips of their drinks.

He sat down next to Sarah and smiled. Sarah smiled back, obviously attracted. She loved musicians, in fact, she only dated musicians. "Hi Dave. So how long have you been playing?" Sarah asked. Now everybody looked over at them.

"Well, I've been playing guitar since I was thirteen and the drums since I was twenty," Dave explained.

"What do you play in this band? I mean with Lane, Zach, and Brian you were playing guitar," Rory asked, she was curious if Dave was wondering about Lane and the guys.

"I'm still playing guitar, drums are mostly a hobby," Dave explained while taking a drink of his own beer. "How are Lane and the guys anyways? Do you still keep in touch with them?"

"Yeah, me and Lane talk almost everyday. She's actually engaged..." Rory said.

"Wow, anybody I know?" Dave asked.

Rory looked from Dave to Jess then down at the table. When she looked up at Dave she said, "Yeah, actually. Her and Zach are getting married."

"That's amazing," Jess chimed in. "How long have they been together?"

"Four years, I think. It's pretty good," Rory explained. Dave and Jess nodded.

"Rory, isn't Lane coming to see you this week?" Paris asked, and Sarah nodded.

"Yes she is, she's coming Sunday. I'm taking the week off so that we can spend the week together," Rory said to Paris. Now the table was quiet again.

Sarah then spoke up, "I'm gonna go get a drink." Dave stood up so that Sarah could get out, he then decided to follow her to the bar.


	6. Chapter 6

After Dave's band played, he and Sarah left together. It was only ten, so Paris and Rory decided to stay at the club a little longer, also giving Dave and Sarah some time alone in case they went back to the apartment. They had both had a few beers, Rory had had more than Paris, and were pretty buzzed. Jess watched them while they were dancing to the music that the DJ was playing and just smiled. When they went to the bar to get more drinks, Jess got a little worried. He had never seen Rory drunk, and he wasn't sure if he could take home two drunk women.

Paris went back to the dance floor, beer in hand, she really loosens up once she gets a few drinks in her. Jess stopped watching Paris while he looked for Rory. He spotted her talking to the bartender, and then put his head down. "He probably has a girlfriend, I mean, look at him. He's gorgeous," Rory told the bartender who then looked at Jess, he was looking down at the table.

"I wouldn't know. You still have feelings for the guy?" The bartender asked.

"No, its just weird after seeing him again. I think I'm just gonna go dance. Thanks for listening Jake," Rory smiled a drunken smile and walked over to Paris with a new beer and started dancing again.

When Jess looked over at them, he saw Rory fall, so he went to help her off of the floor. Paris sat down at the table that Jess had just left from. "Rory, come on. I'll take you home," Jess said while walking towards the door, signaling for Paris to follow. Rory put her arm around Jess' shoulders and Paris stood up, not nearly as drunk as Rory, and walked next to them to Jess' car.

Jess sat Rory in the back and Paris sat next to her. Jess got into the driver's seat and pulled out his cell phone to call Dave. "Hey Man. Are you still with Sarah?" Jess asked looking into the backseat where Rory had fallen asleep on Paris' shoulder and Paris had fallen asleep against the window.

"Yeah, we're at her place watching TV. Why Dude?"

"Rory and Paris need a ride home and I don't know where they live," Jess explained.

"They live on the same street as the Coffee Bean. Sarah and I will wait outside for you guys," Dave offered and they both hung up their cell phones.

When Jess started his car, the girls jerked awake. "Hi ho Silver," Paris exclaimed when she hit her head on the window.

"Sorry. I'm bringing you home. You'll be in bed in a little while," Jess told them as he pulled onto the street. The ride to the apartment was quiet. Jess was just hoping that they wouldn't throw up in his car, it was already a mess. When he pulled up in front of Dave and Sarah, Dave opened the back door on Paris's side. Jess got out and opened Rory's door. The two men helped the two women upstairs while Sarah followed.

Sarah showed Jess where Rory's room was and Dave where Paris' room was. Dave laid Paris onto her bed and closed her door quietly as he left her room and then sat down next to Sarah on the couch. Jess laid Rory onto her own bed, but didn't leave quite as quickly. He took in the sights of her room. Her books, her music, and her simple clothing. All of theses things symbolized reasons that he had once loved her. When he did leave her room, he closed the door quietly. "I'm going home," he told Dave. "See you later."


	7. Chapter 7

Rory woke up with a horrible headache. She noticed that she was in the same clothes that she wore to the club the night before. She grabbed a towel off of the back of her door and left her room for the bathroom. Just as she was about to open the bathroom door, Dave walked past her like it was a normal occurrence. Rory decided to ignore it, she'd talk to Sarah after the hangover.

After Rory took a shower, she got dressed, took two aspirins, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat down on the couch next to Sarah and Paris, Dave had already left. They sat quietly, watching TV until Sarah said, "I'm dating Dave."

"Oh. Good. He's a really nice guy," Rory said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I hope Lane doesn't mind," Sarah said. "She sounds really nice, and I don't want her to hate me before she even gets to know me."

"I don't think she'll mind. She's getting married to Dave's best friend," Paris explained.

"Yeah, I think that she'll be happy for you two," Rory told Sarah. "We'll find out tomorrow."

"I guess," Sarah said. "I have to meet some friends. I'll see you guys later."

Rory watched Sarah leave and moved over to give her and Paris more room on the couch. Paris was quiet, so Rory decided to stay quiet too. She was trying to remember everything that had happened last night, hoping that she didn't make a fool out of herself. All she could remember was Jess. Just that Jess was there. In her room. When she finished her coffee, she got up to go to work. Paris did the same, and they left their apartment together. Rory was still thinking about it.


	8. Chapter 8

On Sunday morning Rory drove her car to JFK Airport to pick up Lane. It was early, only 7 am. She had to be quiet when she had left because she didn't want to wake Sarah or Paris up. Rory was excited to see Lane, she hadn't seen her in months. After Lane goes home, on the upcoming Saturday, it will only be a week until her wedding day. Rory was going home for it, and she was excited to see Lorelai and Luke, Zach, Brian, and Gil, and all of the other people she had really missed since her last visit home.

Once Rory pulled into the airport she smiled. Lane was waiting for her on the sidewalk outside of the terminal. Rory ran up and gave her a big hug and they both smiled. When they pulled apart Rory said, "I'm so happy to see you! Are you excited for your first foray in the Big Apple?"

"I am completely excited. I'm actually excited to see Paris. I'm excited to meet Sarah too," Lane said as they walked to Rory's car with Lane's luggage.

"They're excited to see you too. I think that you should know something before we get to my apartment," Rory started to explain as they put Lane's stuff in Rory's trunk.

"Intrigue. Do tell."

"A few days ago I saw a couple of people that I knew. You knew them too, and they might be at the apartment. Or at least one of them will be."

"Who?" Lane asked once they were in the car.

"Jess and Dave."

"What? Why would Jess and Dave be at your apartment? Are you all friends?"

"Not really, but Dave is dating Sarah. So, I really hope this doesn't make anything awkward. Sarah really wants to get to know you," Rory explained. She started her car and pulled out of the airport.

"I don't want it to be weird. I'm not going to make it weird. It will be weird seeing them and all, but I can make it work. I want to get to know Sarah too, so it will be fine. And plus, I'm marrying Dave's old best friend."

"True. I'm so happy in New York. I think that you'll like it. Your mother definitely wouldn't approve though," Rory said and Lane laughed.

"No, probably not. She knows I'm here though. She told me to carry around pepper spray and a whistle at all times in case anything happens. I told her I would carry them when she would give them to me, so she went into one of her drawers and gave me them."

"Your mother is crazy," Rory said. After a pause she asked, "So, what do you think about me and Jess? I mean, Paris and I got wicked drunk on Friday night when we were out with him. He had to take us home and practically carry me to my bed. I haven't seen him since."

"I don't know. I think that he'll always love you, Rory. I mean, you have that affect on people. Look at Dean, he never stopped loving you."

"That was a long time ago. Mine and Jess' last meeting wasn't a good one. You remember what happened. I didn't run away with him. But I'm pretty sure that he didn't hold that against me, at least I hope not. I don't know if me and him can ever just be friends. It didn't work the first time," Rory pointed out.

"I guess that you'll have to see what happens. So, Zach wasn't sure if I should have come here. He didn't want me to do anything that I might regret. He practically begged me to stay home," Lane said. When she noticed that she was on Rory's street her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," Rory said, pulling into an open parking space near her building. "I'm happy that Zach cares enough to do that. If he knew that Dave was here he may have to worry."

"No," Lane said, and pushed Rory out of her car. "I'm so excited."

"I am too. Lets get your stuff." They went into Rory's trunk and took out all of Lane's stuff. When Rory opened her apartment door, she saw Paris and Sarah sitting on the couch watching TV, no Dave in sight. "Here it is."

"It's so surreal. Hi Paris," Lane said.

"Hi Lane. This is Sarah," Paris said standing up.

Sarah stood up also and extended her hand. "It's so nice to see you. I've heard so much about you."

"I've heard a lot about you too," Lane said, shaking Sarah's hand.

"Alright, lets put your stuff in my room and then we can go get some coffee down the street. OK?" Rory asked.

"Sounds great. It was nice to meet you," Lane said again and smiled at Paris. Rory went to her bedroom door and opened it. There was her twin sized bed and a cot for Lane to sleep on while she was staying.

"You can put your stuff anywhere," Rory explained when she closed her door after Lane had entered her room.

"OK, thanks. So Sarah seems nice. Paris seems, well, the same."

"Pretty much. Are you ready for the second best coffee in the world?" Rory asked, referring to the Coffee Bean's coffee.

"Nothing will ever beat Luke's."

"Never. Oh man, I miss him and his coffee. My step dad, it's so weird saying that," Rory said. Lorelai and Luke had been married for almost two years and were as in love as they had ever been.

"He misses you too. Everybody does. Only a couple of weeks until you get to come home and be my maid of honor."

Rory smiled at this. "Yep, I'm so happy for you. So, coffee?"

"Shall we?"

"Lets shall," Rory said. The two girls left Rory's room and walked past Paris and Sarah again, they waved their goodbyes. They walked down onto the sidewalk and looked down the street to where the Coffee Bean was. "Oh, by the by, this is where I first saw Dave and Jess, so..."

"Danger Will Robinson?" Lane asked.

"I guess." They walked into the coffee shop and Rory looked around nervous of possibly bumping into Jess. While Lane was even more nervous of possibly bumping into Dave. There was no sight of them so they both let out a deep breath they had been holding in. "Two medium coffees," Rory told the guy behind the counter when they reached it. "My treat," she said to Lane.

"Thanks," Lane answered. When they got their coffees, Lane smiled and took a sip. "Not even close to Luke's."

"Nothing will ever beat Luke's," they heard a voice from behind them, already knowing who it was.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi Jess," Lane said after she turned to face him.

"Hi Lane," he replied. "Hi Rory."

"Hi Jess. Hey Lane, do you mind if I talk to Jess _really_ quick?" Rory asked.

"No, not at all. I'll be here," Lane said.

"Great. Jess, can we talk outside?" Rory asked him.

"Sure. Lets go," he said and they went outside as Lane sat down at a table. "So, what's up?" He asked once they reached the sidewalk.

"I just wanted to say thanks for Friday night. Paris wanted to too, she told me to tell you if I ever saw you. So, thanks," Rory said.

"It's no problem. You needed help, so I helped. It's no big deal," Jess explained. He seemed uncomfortable and Rory noticed it.

"Jess, is something wrong? You look weird."

"Nothings wrong, really. I'm just a little confused about a few things is all. Also, not a big deal."

"What are you confused about? Does it concern me?" Rory asked, now she felt confused and uncomfortable.

"I don't know. I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around," Jess said.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't want things to be weird, Jess. I know that your probably mad about the thing a few years ago, but you have to understand..."

"I'm pretty sure that I've gotten over that. We'll keep in touch, maybe."

"Good. I'll see you around. Thanks again."

"Bye Rory," Jess said before he turned and left. Rory walked back inside to the Coffee Bean. She sat down with Lane and smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

"How is everything?" Lane asked.

"Weird. He's confused about a few things. Maybe about me, he's not really sure. I don't know anymore. Do I love him? Do I hate him? Do I just want to get in his pants? Life is a joke. You're so lucky that you have Zach," Rory told Lane.

"Yeah, I am. You'll be lucky too one day. Your guy, he's out there. He might be Jess, he might not be. I just want you to be happy, Rory. OK?"

"Deal. Do you wanna go home and get some rest? It's still really early."

"Lets go back to the apartment and just hang out. I'm not really tired. We can talk with Paris and Sarah and whoever else might pop up."

"Lets go," Rory said. They picked up their coffees and left the Coffee Bean and headed towards Rory's building. Lane looked up, still in awe of the fact that she was in New York. Rory and Lane walked up the stairs to Rory's floor talking when they heard someone running up the stairs behind them. Afraid of what she might see, Lane turned around to see a man that she had never met in a jogging suit and she and Rory let him pass. Lane took a breath and they kept walking until they reached Rory's door.

This time when Rory opened the door she saw Sarah and Dave sitting on the couch, Paris must have left for work already. "Hi Dave," Rory said when she walked into her apartment, in front of Lane.

"Hi Rory. Is Lane with you?" He asked before he had a chance to see Lane.

"Hi Dave. It's nice to see you again," Lane claimed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm amazing. I hear that you're pretty amazing also. Congratulations, I really mean that. Zach is a great guy," Dave said, being truthful, but really just trying to be nice.

"Thank you, Dave. As long as I'm happy, right?" Lane asked while Rory sat down on the couch where Dave had been sitting.

"Of course," Dave replied. He sat down on the other side of Sarah and put his arm around her shoulders, not trying at all to be an ass. Lane saw it and she didn't even care, she just let it go. She had Zach, and that was all she could ever want. She sat down on the arm of the couch closest to Rory and they sat quietly watching something about celebrities on TV. Sarah stood up and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Does anybody want anything?" She asked.

"No thanks," Dave told her.

"Can you bring me the Rice Krispys?" Rory asked.

"Sure. Lane, would you like anything?" Sarah asked, now Dave looked at her.

"No thanks. I have my coffee," Lane said, holding up her cup of coffee. "Thanks though."

"No problem at all." Sarah got the Rice Krispys and brought them over to Rory.

"Thanks Sarah." They sat quietly again but nobody was really dwelling on it until Rory had to pee and leave Lane alone with Sarah and Dave. "I'll be right back," she said as she stood up and patted Lane's leg on the way out.

There was now a somewhat awkward vibe in the room and nobody knew what to say due to the awkward situation. Rory was quick in the bathroom and joined them back on the couch, aware of the consistent silence that had occurred when she was gone. "Hey Lane. Do you want to go shopping or take a walk so that I can show you some of the sights?" Rory asked when she sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, that sounds great. Let me just go get my purse. I left it in your room," Lane said before she stood up and walked into Rory's room. Rory looked at Dave and Sarah who were also looking at her.

"This isn't weird at all," Dave said once he was sure that Lane was out of earshot.

"Well, it was basically inevitable. Oh well. It's not you Sarah, it's simply the situation," Rory explained before Lane walked out of Rory's room.


	10. Chapter 10

When Rory and Lane went out they only bought a couple of small things. New York was a pretty expensive place for two twenty-five-year-olds. They stopped at the Coffee Bean again at around 1 pm. "Two medium coffees, please" Rory said to the same man behind the counter.

"Coming up," he said.

"I've got it this time," Lane said. She gave the man the appropriate amount of money and left a dollar in the tip jar on the counter.

"Thanks," Rory said when they left the Coffee Bean. "So, what now? Music, books, clothes, lunch? I'm up for anything. We could go back to the apartment if you wanted to."

"I am kind of hungry. Where do you want to go?" Lane asked.

"I don't know. We could take the subway and see where it takes us. We can surprise ourselves. You pick the stop. We'll be adventurous."

"Sounds like fun," Lane said. "You know, I'm excited for my first subway experience. Lets go." They walked across the street to the subway stairs and walked down. It wasn't as crowded as it was the day that Rory had seen Jess, but it was still relatively crowded. "A lot has happened in six hours," Lane said when they got down to the subway.

"I'd say. So, know where you want to get off yet?" Rory asked as the train stopped.

Looking at the map on the wall of the train Lane announced, "39th street."

"That's a good street. I'm pretty sure there is good food on it. Not to mention an impeccable bookstore."

"Good, we can eat and then we can drown ourselves in books," Lane smiled.

"Only if you want to. This is your adventure."

"I know. I want to. Food and then books. We can still make it fun."

"OK, as long as we eat something big. I'm starving."

"Of course you are. You're a Gilmore. You're always hungry." They got off of the train at 39th street. Rory remembered the conversation that she had had with Jess on Friday in the same spot that they stopped at while Lane was looking around to find something to eat. Rory didn't dwell on Jess, she really couldn't. She didn't know what was going on with him. She let it settle in the back of her mind for now. "How about that place?" Lane asked pointing to a little diner down the street.

"I've never eaten there. I say we try it out," Rory responded. They walked across the street to the diner and walked in. There was no wait, so they got seated immediately at a booth near the window. By the time they had arrived their coffees were done.

"What can I get you to drink?" Asked the waitress.

"I'll have a coke, please," Rory answered.

"I'd like the same, please" Lane said. They were given their menus they took a few minutes to look at their choices. "I think I'm going to get a cheeseburger."

"Yeah? I think I'm going to get chicken strips," Rory told Lane. When their drinks arrived at the table they ordered their food and talked until it arrived. The diner seemed like it were in some kind of a lull, so the service was fast. "So, how do you like New York so far?" Rory asked after she swallowed a bite of chicken.

"I like it so far. I mean I've only been here for the day and I have, like, five more. I'm so happy that I'm here. You have no idea," Lane told her.

"Believe me, I've been there. Sometimes I still can't believe that my life is here. But, don't get me wrong, I really miss Stars Hollow."

"And we all miss you, Rory. New York is your home now and you love it. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks Lane." Rory ate another a piece of chicken and then took a sip of her drink and smiled at the fact that she was happy with her life and that she had so much to look forward to in life. "So, do you think that things are weird with you and Dave?"

"Uh, yes. Were you not there this morning? It was horrible, I didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to say. Hopefully, I don't have to deal much with him while I'm here."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to sound like a horrible friend for asking you this...?"

"Asking me what?"

"Do you think that I could ever be friends with Jess?"

"Why are you a horrible friend for asking me that?"

"Because we were talking about you, I just feel bad, I guess. But, I want to know what you think."

"Rory, you are not a bad friend. You and Jess is a very complicated subject matter and I completely understand why you need my input. Do I think that you and Jess could ever be friends? Honestly?" Lane asked.

"Yes, honestly. Please."

"No. I think that you will always have feelings for Jess. And I'm pretty sure that Jess will always have feelings for you. So, no. I think that you should either stay away from him, or try again," Lane explained. She didn't want to hurt Rory, but she did want to tell her the truth.

"Huh, I don't know what to do. I want to have him in my life, but can I ever trust him? I honestly don't know. For now, though, I am going to stay away him for as long as possible. It might be hard with Dave everywhere, but I _will _try."

"As long as that's what you want. I support you, one hundred percent. Now, do you want to go to the bookstore?"

"Sure, if you're ready. I think a new book will do me good," Rory explained. Lane nodded and put some money down on the table. "No, I got it."

"You can leave the tip."

"Fine," Rory said, putting down a five dollar bill on the table.


	11. Chapter 11

Lane left the following Saturday, as expected. All that week, she and Rory went shopping, went to clubs, hung out with Paris and Sarah, and even hung out with Dave. It wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. They ended up acting like they were just old friends who never had a history of dating.

Rory had kept away from Jess that week. She had seen him a few times at bookstores and clubs, but she knew what she had to do. On Saturday afternoon, hours after Lane had left, Paris and Rory went to the bookstore for an Ayn Rand book that they didn't have yet. Rory was afraid to run into Jess with Paris around, scared of what Paris might do or say. Paris wasn't aware of the situation, so anything was possible. Rory wasn't ready to tell Paris about the situation yet, so she hoped for the best that Jess was not around.

Walking into the bookstore Paris got distracted by some kind of medical book, after she switched her major from pre-med to journalism, she still had that urge to read about it. Rory left her alone and walked to the fiction section to look at books, not even looking for Ayn Rand. When she saw the Hemingway section, she passed right by it, she had never liked Hemingway. Of course, once Paris came over, Rory spotted Jess and so did Paris. "Hey look, it's your boyfriend."

"No, it's not. It's Jess, not my boyfriend," Rory said trying to get away but Paris wouldn't stand for it.

"Look at this, Rory," Paris said while Rory looked at the book that Paris pointed out. Rory picked it up to tried to hide her face, but not make it obvious. It wasn't obvious because Paris didn't notice it while she kept looking at another copy of the same book. Thankfully, Jess wasn't headed to the section that Rory and Paris was in. There was a high possibility that he hadn't even seen them. Rory let out a breath and started looking at the book for real and got interested and decided on buying it. Paris decided not to buy a copy, but just borrow Rory's copy at a later time.

The two left the bookstore with only one book each. They hadn't found the book they were there looking for. Paris never mentioned Jess again that day, so again, Rory was thankful. When they walked onto the street, from the subway, Rory asked Paris, "Are you happy in New York?"

"Yes, I mean, I miss home. I love it here though," Paris answered. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. I'm not sure that I want to spend my life here. I love it here too, but there are so many other places that I could live, you know?" Rory asked as they crossed the street.

"I get what you're saying. Where else would you want to live?"

"Nowhere right now. Right now, I definitely want to stay in New York. Later in life, though, I'm not sure," Rory answered as they walked into their apartment building.

"OK," Paris said. They walked up the stairs not talking. When Paris opened the door she saw Dave and Sarah and walked straight to her room.

"Hi guys," Rory said when she saw them on the couch. Sarah was laying with her back against the arm of the couch and her feet on Dave's lap.

"Hi Rory," Dave said. Sarah smiled in Rory's direction. Rory poured herself a cup of coffee and put it in the microwave to warm it up. When the microwave beeped, Rory grabbed her coffee and went into her room. She had just organized her room. Her books were straight, her CDs were too, her clothes were all put away, for once, and her bed was made. She took her new book out of the bag at placed it on one of her bookshelves. Rory took out a piece that she was working on for the paper and finished it in an hour.

When she walked out of her room she saw Dave and Sarah in the same position they had been in when she arrived home. Only this time they were sound asleep. It was around six in the evening and Rory didn't want to stay locked away in her room and she didn't want to wake Dave and Sarah either, so she left the apartment, coat in hand. When she reached the sidewalk, it was cold enough to wear her jacket so she put it on. The coffee she had had earlier, when she got home, hadn't really done much for her so she stopped at the Coffee Bean. She ordered the same thing that she usually did, a medium coffee, and left for a walk. While drinking her coffee Rory didn't know where to go, she didn't really want to just walk around aimlessly, so she walked to Washington Square Park.

She sat down on a bench and drank her coffee. She really did love coffee, but Coffee Bean coffee was merely a replacement of Luke's coffee. When she thought of Luke's coffee she thought of home and of her years in Stars Hollow. Simultaneously, that thought brought her to Jess. Why did it always end up back at Jess? She wasn't really sure, except for the fact that she was pretty sure that she had feelings for him. Hiding from him that past week had been really hard for her, and painful in the process.

She finished her coffee and left the park. It was now dark outside, but she could still see from all of the street lights. Rory walked in the direction of a place that she had only seen a few times that she remembered. When she reached her destination, a wooden door with two locks on it, inside of an apartment building, she knocked. After her coffee and the walk it was nearly eight o'clock. The door was opened by a dark haired man with no shirt, no shoes, and no lights but the television on.


	12. Chapter 12

"Rory, what are you doing here?" Jess asked, feeling uncomfortable being half naked in front of Rory.

"Shut up," Rory said. She pushed his bare chest and he landed inside of his apartment with Rory. She closed the door behind her and took off her jacket. Jess stood there, watching, not sure of what was going on.

"Rory. What-"

"Shh." Rory put her hands on his chest again, but this time she took her time on tracing his muscles, during which, she watched his face, his gorgeous face. Jess didn't know what to say. He decided not to say anything, because this was like his dream come true. When she was done on his muscles, she put his hands on her hips to give him a signal so that he would make a move. He held his hands there, but still didn't move, if anything was to happen, he wanted Rory to make the first move. Instead, Rory got tired of waiting for a kiss that had taken years to come and lightly brushed her lips against his. When she pulled away Jess stood there in awe. Even though he knew that something was coming, he had forgotten how amazing her lips had tasted. "Me too," Rory said in agreement.

"Shut up." Jess pulled Rory's hips into his own and kissed her lips passionately. She moved her hands from his shoulders to his hair. She had always loved to play with his hair when they made out. Jess pulled his entire body away from hers, trying not to get caught up in the moment. "OK. So, what is this?" He asked, wiping his lips.

"Well, that was us kissing. _Was _being the operative word,"Rory answered, walking closer to Jess.

Jess just stepped further back until he almost fell onto his couch. Now he held out his arm and Rory stopped. "I know what _that _was. _Why _were we kissing? We don't kiss anymore, not for at least, seven years. So, why now? Why at all?"

"I don't know if you noticed this past week that every time I saw you, I hid."

"No, actually I hadn't noticed that. Why did you hide?"

"You said that you were confused. And then I realized that I was confused. I was confused about me and I was confused about you. I didn't know how I felt about you. I want you in my life, Jess."

"How so? Are we kissing and not dating? Are we just kissing this one time? Are we dating? Are we just friends? In what way do you want me to be in your life?" Jess asked, he sat down and took a deep breath.

"I want all of you, Jess. I want your entire soul and your attraction. I simply want _us_," Rory answered. She felt embarrassed for being so forward, but she didn't regret it.

"Huh," Jess said. He stood up off of the couch and walked forward three steps, but not close enough to kiss her. When Jess made this move, Rory stepped back three steps, now she needed to breathe and relax. They stood apart like this for at least a minute and then Rory moved forward to where she had been standing before. "So, what now?" Jess asked.

"I told you what I wanted, Jess. Now, what do you want?"

"I want everything that I've wanted since the day that I met you."

"Oh. I just need to know one thing. Will you not run away? If we are together and you run away again, I'll never forgive you. I'll never want anything to do with you. You broke my heart, and I don't want to have that feeling ever again."

"I didn't run away to get away from you. If anything, I did it to help you. I was a bad kid, I still am. I have nowhere to run and I broke my own heart when I left you. I loved you, you know that. I wouldn't ask you to run away with me just so that I could run away from you. I love you, Rory. And I am so, so sorry that I hurt you. If you can't believe that, then we can't be together, despite how badly I want it."

Rory walked inches in front of Jess' body. He put his hands around her waist and she put her arms around his neck. Jess took a deep breath and searched Rory's face before pulling her entire body into his and kissed her neck. She took one of her hands and moved his mouth from her neck to her mouth and kissed him more passionately than ever before. Jess laid down on the couch with Rory on top of him. With the TV still running in the background, Jess took off Rory's t-shirt and went back to kissing her. Rory was about to unbutton Jess' jeans when Dave walked into his apartment, kissing Sarah. Rory stopped on the button and Jess gave her back her shirt.

Before Dave and Sarah realized that they were there, Rory had her shirt on and Jess was sitting next to her on the couch. Jess coughed to get their attention and they stopped kissing and Sarah said, "Rory, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing, I'm just going to leave now. Bye Dave, bye Jess," Rory answered. When she stood up, she walked out of the apartment with her back to the door and gave Jess a signal to meet her outside as soon as possible. Sarah and Dave ignored everything that had just happened and sat down on the couch next to Jess. Rory left the apartment and closed the door behind her.


	13. Chapter 13

Jess met a pacing Rory on the sidewalk outside of his building, minutes after the incident with Dave and Sarah. "Hi," he said to make Rory stop pacing.

Rory stopped and smiled at Jess. "Hi," she said. He walked over to her and put his left hand on her right hip. "Hi," she said again before she kissed him.

"Yeah," he said once they pulled apart. "What do you want to do now?"

"I think that maybe we should talk about this relationship. If you really want this to happen, I mean."

"I want this. I have always wanted this. Relationship talk it is. Where would you like to talk about this relationship?"

"You're like my cousin," Rory randomly pointed out stepping back from Jess.

"What? We're only step-cousins, not blood. And thats not our fault, it is Luke's and Lorelai's fault. Don't make this weird."

"OK. How about we go back to my place and talk about our relationship?" Rory put the cousin thing in the back of her mind.

"Alright." Jess put his arm around Rory's waist and they walked, with Rory's head rested on Jess' shoulder. "So, how did you know where I live? Stalker?"

"No. Dave was telling Sarah and I overheard. I realized that I had walked by it before and I knew where it is."

"Stalking would have made it so much hotter."

Rory looked up at Jess and hip checked him while they got to Jess' car. "Funny. So do you ever walk anywhere? Or just drive?"

"I walk everywhere during the day, but at night I like to use my car. You know, I think that is so funny that I've never seen you before last week. I've always gone to the Coffee Bean and used the subway on your street. It's weird," Jess said while he pulled onto the street.

"It is kind of weird. You know, now that I think about it, I think I have seen you before. It was only the Wednesday before we saw each other in the subway, but I'm pretty sure it was you. I was walking to that record store that you took me to when I came here my Junior year and I think that it was you I saw walking down into the subway and out of the store. It had to have been you."

"It probably was. I was there on Wednesday a few weeks ago. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, I tried hiding from you when I saw you in the subway. And it really didn't click until now that it must have been you."

"Oh, OK," Jess said as he pulled up in front of Rory's building. They got out of his car and now that it was nine-ish, they hoped that Paris was not in the living room. Rory walked into her apartment first to make sure. Paris was in the bathroom or not home because she wasn't in the living room and her bedroom door was open, which it never is. Jess snuck into Rory's room before Paris had the option of seeing him.


	14. Chapter 14

Paris walked out of the bathroom when she heard Rory's door close. "What was that?" She asked.

"Oh, I just got home, so I closed the door. Bye," Rory said as she walked away from Paris and into her bedroom. "Paris is here," she said when she met Jess in her room.

"Oh well. I don't mind. Do you?"

"No. I obviously want you here. I was the one that suggested that you come here, remember?"

"Yeah. So, we came here for a reason. To talk about this relationship. So, talk." Jess laid his head on one of Rory's pillows while Rory laid on her bed with her legs hanging off of the side and her head on Jess' stomach.

"OK. I don't know what to say about this relationship... Oh, OK. I've got something. Are we only seeing each other?"

"I want it that way. What about you?"

"Yes, I also want it that way," Rory said, smugly. She sat up and gave Jess a quick kiss before laying next to him. The bed was small, but neither of them minded that they sat so close.

"Good. OK, I've got one now. Do you love me?"

"Wow. Forward much? Um, yes. I guess I do. I really believe that I do. I love you Jess. Huh, I like how that sounds." Jess didn't even hesitate to kiss her when she said that she loved him. And when he did, Rory didn't reject it, in fact, she welcomed it completely.

They had been kissing for quite some time when they were interrupted once again. Only this time, it was Paris. They had been so caught off guard that they didn't even stop kissing until Paris gasped. "Wow, Rory. So, I'm sorry. I'll go. Wow," Paris said before walking out of Rory's room.

"I really hope that stops," Jess said before he kissed Rory again.

"Hey, so I have a proposition for you."

"OK, what?"

"Come to Lane's wedding with me. Please?" Rory got off of Jess and sat next to him with a hopeless smile on her face.

"No. I don't know if I can go back there without being killed. Plus, I wasn't invited."

"I just invited you. We can surprise everybody. Except Lane, I'll ask her first just to make sure. Please, Jess, I want you to come. You can see Luke, my Mom, Zach, and everybody else. It can be fun. I can persuade you, believe me. I have my ways," Rory said before giving him a short, but passionate kiss.

"Are you trying to bribe me with sex? That is so low, Gilmore."

"I'll go as low as I need to if you'll come with me this weekend. Or we could go early. I can e-mail my work while I'm gone and we can stay with Luke and my mom. We can go to the bachelor and bachelorette parties and we can have fun before the wedding. And then we can have fun during the wedding and even _more _fun after the wedding."

"Really, Rory, I will not succumb to your womanly wiles," Jess said before Rory laid her entire body onto his. "OK, so maybe I will." Jess kissed Rory and she took off his shirt.

"Never mind," Rory said, getting off of Jess.

"What?" Jess asked. He was laying half naked on Rory's bed due to Rory taking off his shirt and she abandons him there. He was confused to say the least.

"Well, we'll get back to it. Now I have to go call Lane to make sure that you can come. Although, I'm sure that you can. I'll be back, make yourself comfortable."

"I was pretty comfortable," Jess mumbled as Rory walked out of her bedroom to see Paris sitting on the couch.

"Hi Paris," Rory said before grabbing the phone from the receiver.

"Interesting night?"

"You could say that. I'll fill you in later. I promise. You're coming this weekend for the wedding, right?"

"Yeah. I was invited and I did RSVP. Why?"

"Me and Jess are think about leaving early and I'll send in my work with e-mail while I'm gone and I was thinking that you could come with us. You're the only that knows about me and Jess, so I thought that, maybe, you could help us with the surprise."

"Yeah that actually sounds like something I might want to see," Paris said. Rory smiled at this and called Lane.

"Hey Lane, I have a quick question," Rory said once Lane answered the phone.

"OK, what's up?" Lane asked on the other line.

"I was wondering if I could bring a date on Saturday. Or does that mess things up?"

"It all depends on who the date is. So, who's the date?"

"Jess. But, you're the only person, other than Paris, that knows and we want to keep it a surprise. Please don't tell anybody, we all want to see ow this pans out."

"Wow, Jess. I'm so happy for you. And of course I'll keep it a secret. I'm interested to see how this all works out too. I knew that you'd find your guy."  
"Thanks Lane. OK, but I have to go. I miss you and I'll see you sometime tomorrow. We decided to come up early."

"Good. I won't tell anybody that either. You've got a couple of surprises waiting for you too," Lane said, leaving Rory in suspense before hanging up the phone. Rory wondered, for a second, about what the surprises might be and then hung up the phone.

"Plan is supported. Tomorrow the three of us leave for Stars Hollow. We're going to have to talk to Dave and Sarah. She can take my room while we're gone."

"Sounds good to me. I'll pack. You, try to stay somewhat quiet," Paris said before turning off the TV and going into her bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

Rory, Jess, and Paris decided to leave the next day, Sunday, at ten in the morning. Rory was driving her car with Jess in the passenger seat and Paris in the backseat. Right now, they were driving into Hartford. "How much longer?" Paris asked as she woke up.

"About twenty minutes," Rory said. She looked at Jess and she smiled at him. The smile ended as they drove past the Gilmore house. "Ah, the days of our adolescents."

"Don't even remind me," Jess said looking out of the window.

"Sorry. OK. So, Jess, I know that we've only been at this for ,like, a day, if that, but we will have to visit them. Or at least I will," Rory told him. Paris sat up wanting to know what was about to come out of Jess' mouth.

"OK, way to spring that on me. I guess it comes with the territory. Although, it is partly my fault. I remember that I promised you, that next time I went to your grandparents' house, I wouldn't have a black eye," Jess explained.

"Oh yeah. You did promise me that. And you've never even met my grandfather. I think you'll like him, you know, once he stops hating you," Rory said. Paris smiled at this and Rory saw it out of the corner of her eye and smiled at Jess.

"Yeah." Jess said. Paris laid her head back down onto the window and closed her eyes. She wasn't expecting to sleep, just to rest. "So, Rory, how are we going to do this surprise thing? I'm not jumping out of a box or anything. I need to keep some of my reputation."

"I don't know. I was thinking that maybe you should get a room at the Dragonfly under an alias so that Mom doesn't know who's staying. Or you guys could just put it under Paris' name and have my mom think it's just her. I'll show up at Luke's, where Mom is if she isn't at work, and hopefully she isn't at work. I'll just tell her that I came early and then, I don't know. What do you think?" Rory asked

"So, basically you want me and Paris to share a room? You also want to play it by ear? I don't know, Rory. Why don't we all just show up at Luke's? No, never mind. You two show up at Luke's and I'll wait a while and if your mom is there, which she probably is, I'll just come in and kiss you. We could just act like it was a normal thing," Jess suggested, he looked around the car for expressions. He didn't get much information just from the faces.

"I like that idea. I think it is more a plan than what you said, Rory. It would sure stir up more than yours," Paris said to Rory who nodded in agreement.

"Good. We're here," Jess said as they pulled into Stars Hollow. Rory's smile was weak. She now had major butterflies and was scared of reactions. She knew that it was Jess that she wanted to be with, but she was still nervous.

"We're here. I'll drive to Mom's and me and Paris can just walk and then by the time we get there you can leave and surprise everybody," Rory explained.

"Sounds good."

"Now lean down so that nobody sees you." Jess did as he was told and leaned down for the rest of the ride, thankfully it was a short one. When Jess sat up in the car at Lorelai's house he noticed that Babette wasn't home. He smiled at this. "OK, I'll see you in a little while. I love you, and good luck on the walk over. Try not to talk to anyone either." Rory kissed him and then she pulled away. When she pulled away Jess pulled her back and kissed her more passionately and smiled.

"Just in case I die," he said. Rory got out of her car and walked next to Paris while Jess watched them.

"So, you two seem happy."

"We are. Are you happy?" Rory asked Paris as they walked out of Rory's yard.

"For you? Or in general?"  
"In general. Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I think that I am. I am also happy for you," Paris told Rory. Rory smiled and pulled Paris into a short hug.

"Thank you," she said while she pulled away from Paris and kept walking. The rest of the walk, they didn't talk. But, Rory was greeted by a few townspeople, including Kirk.

"Hello Rory. Are you here for Lane's wedding this weekend?" He asked.

"Yes, I am. So is Paris. You're coming, right?"

"Yes. I am going to be an usher for Lane and Zach."

"Good. I'll see you then, Kirk. Bye," Rory said before she kept walking to Luke's with Paris.

"He is so weird," Paris said as they stood in front of Luke's. "Your mom's here. Thats a good thing."

"I'm really nervous. I'm _really_ nervous."

"I know, but you love him. He'll be here soon. Plus, your mom or Luke are going to see you eventually. So, lets go."

"OK." they walked into Luke's and when the bell over the door rang, Luke looked over and saw Rory with a huge smile on her face.

Lorelai noticed the look on Luke's face and turned around to see who it was. "RORY!" She jumped off of her stool, hugged her daughter.

"Hi Mom," Rory said as Paris sat down at the counter. "Hi Luke." Rory and Lorelai sat down next to Paris and smiled.

"Hi Rory. Welcome home. You came back early," Luke said.

"Yeah, I thought that it would be a nice surprise. Paris decided to come early, also. We want to be able to go the bachelorette party," Rory said this and Paris hit her elbow. Rory knew what was coming. Luke was facing the opposite way of the door, so when the bell rang he turned to look at it. Rory wanted to, but decided to let Jess do the plan.

"Jess," Luke said. "What are you doing here?"

Jess walked up to Rory and kissed her and Paris moved down one seat so that Jess could sit next to Rory. "I thought that I'd come for a wedding," he said when he pulled his lips away from a smiling Rory. She was now calm and relaxed, even though Lorelai looked like she was about to faint. Luke looked the same way as Lorelai did. Paris smiled at all of the expressions.

"What exactly was that?" Lorelai asked. She rubbed her stomach and waited for an answer, not sure of what was coming.

"Oh, that was Jess kissing me," Rory said. She smiled and Lorelai was still confused.

"Yeah, I think that we grasped that part," Luke said, trying to grasp why it had just happened.

"Yeah, we figured as much. Me and Rory are back together," Jes explained, not sure of what Luke or Lorelai would do or say.

Luke got out from behind the counter and pulled Jess away from Rory. He pulled his sleeve and led him into the storage room. "OK, Jess. You do know that you are dating your cousin, but I'll let that one slide. Aside from being your cousin, she's Rory. I know that you love her and I don't know how she feels about you, but I swear to God, Jess, that if you hurt my step-daughter I will have to kill you. Oh yeah, and Lorelai's pregnant, do not tell Rory or I will have to kill you again."


	16. Chapter 16

Jess walked out of the storage room, still shocked from the news, and sat next to Rory. "Hey. How'd that go?" she asked him once his arm was wrapped around her waist.

"Interesting. Did you talk to your mom?" Lorelai had left by the time Luke and Jess were back and Paris was gone too.

"Yeah I did. She claims that she's happy for us. She took Paris to the inn so that she had a place to stay. You're staying at the apartment and I'm staying in my room, but my mom wants to have a big dinner tonight with me, you, Luke, Paris, Lane, and Babette."

"Babette?"

"She said that she had to tell us something and she wants to get it around town and Babette can do that. Are you OK with the sleeping arrangement?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, completely. Do you want to go to your house and unpack and then come here so that I can unpack?" Jess asked Rory who kissed him. "Yes?"

"My mom won't be home, we can unpack and then I can give you what I promised I would if you came with me this week."

"I like that idea better," Jess told Rory. He kissed her and stood up. He held his hand out for her to hold and she willingly grabbed it and stood up off of her stool. "Shall we?"

"Lets shall, my love. Hey Luke, we're leaving, but we'll be back in a little while," Rory said as Luke walked out of the kitchen.

"OK. Bye Rory. Jess," he said, giving Jess a subtle signal to remind him not to say anything.

"Luke," Jess said before he and Rory left the diner and hit the sidewalk, hand in hand. Of course, Miss Patty saw them as they walked into Rory's yard.

"Rory, honey. It's so good to see you. I was just leaving Babette's. Why are you here so early? The weddings not until Saturday," Miss Patty asked when she saw them. She gave Jess a dirty look before talking to Rory.

"Well, Paris, Jess, and myself thought that it would be a good idea to come up early. You know, a nice surprise. It's really good to see you, but Jess and I have to get inside," Rory said and smiled before laying her head on Jess' shoulder and they walked away. "I'm so sorry about that."

"Don't be. I'm the one that agreed to come. I expected people not to like the fact that I was here especially that I was here with you," Jess said when they got to Rory's car to get her bags. "I love, you know that."

"I love you too, Jess. Lets go inside. We both deserve it," Rory said, grabbing a suitcase and Jess grabbed the other. They walked into Lorelai's house and put Rory's bags in her room. Rory unzipped one and put in on her bed to unpack it. Jess unzipped the other one and on top was a saucy piece of lingerie. "Is this for me?"

Rory looked over at what he was holding and grabbed it out of his hand. "No. It's for Kirk. See what happens when you ask questions."

"OK, thats just the grossest thing I have ever heard. No, but seriously, I hate unpacking clothes. Why not just live out of suitcases?"

"Because I can't do that. I've never been able to. And you're just horny. Jess, we've waited long enough. We can wait a little longer, maybe."

"I don't know about that, Rory," Jess said. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close to him and kissed her. While still kissing her, he moved all of the clothes that were laying on the bed and swiped them onto the floor.

Rory saw this from out of the corner of her eye. "Jess!"

"Shh, it's all worth it. Believe me." He went back to kissing her and laid her down onto the bed and held himself up while kissing her the entire time. This time, unlike at Kyle's party, she didn't reject him from undoing her belt. In fact when he was done with her belt, she undid his belt. He took off her shirt and she took off his jacket and then his shirt and he flipped them both over, so that Rory was resting on top of him. Rory _finally_ got to unbutton his pants and pulled them off. He did the same, all the time still kissing her.

Afterwards, Rory laid in bed holding Jess' hand and played with his fingers. "OK, that was insanely worth it," she told him.

"I know, I told you that it would be. You are an amazingly good kisser, did you know that?" Jess asked her before kissing her neck.

"I've been told by a few people. I like hearing it coming from you, though. Can unpack _now_?"

"If we have to. What time is this dinner tonight?" Jess asked while putting on his pants. Rory shrugged and Jess gave her back her shirt.

"Thank you," she said while putting it on. They started unpacking, Rory in her shirt and underwear, Jess in his jeans and no shirt on. Rory found a cute pair of jeans that she had packed and then put them on.

"Dammit," Jess said as he watched her put them on.

"Ha ha. I don't want to unpack anymore. Maybe I'll do it later and we can go do whatever. I want to go to the inn and see my mom, I wonder what this big surprise is. It must have been what Lane was talking about on the phone."

"I'm sure it's a big one," Jess said, already knowing what it was. He looked for his shirt and he found it when Paris walked into Rory's room.

"Nice bod, Jess," she said, looking at Rory.

"Yeah, thanks Paris. You are really good at knocking on doors. I 'm gonna go to Luke's. I'll see you at dinner," Jess said. He kissed Rory goodbye and put on his shirt. When he walked past Paris and out of the room he gave her a rude smile.

"You always get the hot ones, Gilmore."


	17. Chapter 17

At about six o'clock, people started showing up at Lorelai's house for dinner. Jess, Luke, and Lane already knew what the surprise was, so they had gotten there earlier than Rory, Paris, and Babette. When Rory and Paris entered the house, Rory asked, "Mom, what's this big surprise? I'm kind of nervous."

"Do not be nervous, my daughter. It is a good surprise. I promise. Now, please sit next to your cousin slash boyfriend thing, and Paris you can sit here," Lorelai said, gesturing to the seat on the other side of Rory.

"Mom, and everybody else who wants to bring up the fact that we're cousins, please don't. We're only step-cousins and I already thought of that before anything really happened. I'm fine, he's fine. Lets look past it," Rory said as she sat next to Jess. Paris sat next to Rory and Lane sat next to Paris.

"Doll, what's for dinner? I'm starving and Luke always makes the best food," Babette said while she sat down next to Lane.

"Oh, Luke didn't cook. I did. I thought that since it was my idea for dinner, that I'd be the one to cook," Lorelai said proudly.

"Oh, so we're all going to die," Jess mumbled into Rory's ear. Rory pushed Jess' chest softly and kissed his cheek.

"Lucas? Can you please serve the food? You know, since I cooked it," Lorelai asked, already knowing the answer. Luke loved her so much that he would happily do anything for Lorelai.

"Of course Lorelai," he answered. Lorelai sat at an open seat, two seats away from Babette, and left the seat next to Jess open for Luke to sit in. Luke started serving everybody the chicken that Lorelai had cooked and the doorbell rang. "Rory, could you get that? It's probably Sookie."

"OK. I'll be right back." Rory got up to answer the door. When she did. Sookie gave her a huge hug.

"It's so good to see you. So, do we know what this surprise is yet? Lorelai didn't tell me that you were coming. Is that the surprise?" Sookie asked when she walked into the house.

"No, I'm not the surprise. She didn't tell me that you were coming either. I have no idea what the surprise could be. Lets go find out," Rory said. Sookie smiled and followed Rory into the kitchen where everybody was sitting. Sookie sat in between Babette and Lorelai.

"What is Jess doing here?" She whispered into Lorelai's ear when she sat down.

"He's here with Rory, as her boyfriend. That's not the surprise, though," Lorelai explained. Luke had already served everybody the chicken, the salad, and the wine.

"OK, Mom. We're all here and we're all here for a surprise, so could you possibly tell us this secret? I'm dying here," Rory said after she took a bite of her food and a sip of her wine.

"OK, Sweetie. Luke and Lane and _apparently _Jess already know."

"You know and you didn't tell me?" Rory asked Jess when she turned to look at him. He smirked and shrugged, not sure of what to say.

"Don't blame him, Honey. Luke wasn't supposed to tell him and so he told him not to tell you or he'd kill him," Lorelai explained, everybody could tell by her tone that she was a little mad at Luke.

"Yeah, what she said," Jess told Rory.

"Sorry Jess. OK, Mom, proceed," Rory suggested.

Lorelai smiled and rubbed her stomach and looked at Luke. "Do you want me to tell them?" Luke asked grabbing Lorelai's hand.

"No. You've told too many people as it is," Lorelai told him. She didn't take her hand away, instead she covered his with her other hand. "Here it is. Rory, Babette, Paris, I'm pregnant."

Everybody's faces lit up, even Jess'. Rory practically screamed for joy. "Mom! I'm so happy for you. You too Luke," Rory said. She stood up and walked behind her mother and Luke and hugged them both before sitting back down next to Jess.

"How could you have not told me this Lorelai?" Sookie asked. "This is huge. I am so happy for you!"

"I didn't want to tell anybody else before I had told Rory, but Lane had overheard a conversation with my doctor, so I had to tell her," Lorelai explained. Sookie hugged Lorelai from her seat.

"Oh Dolls. I couldn't be more happy for you. Don't worry, it will get around town. To Luke and Lorelai and Baby Danes," Babette said, holding up her glass of wine to make a toast. Everybody clinked their glasses together and took a drink.

"I'm very happy for the both of you," Paris said after she had taken a drink of her wine.

"Thank you, Paris. And thank you to everybody. We are both very delighted," Lorelai explained.

"Doll, you shouldn't be drinking," Babette pointed out.

"I'm not. I am drinking grape juice. And I've decided to drink decaf coffee for the duration of my pregnancy, one of the hardest things I will ever have to do," Lorelai said, looking at her coffee pot with mourning eyes.

"I'm sure that it will be worth it," Lane told her.

"I know it will be. Look how good the first one came out," Lorelai said, now looking at Rory.

Rory's face turned red and everybody smiled. Jess kissed her on the cheek and everybody went back to the dinner.

After dinner, Lane and Babette went home. Rory, Jess, Sookie, and Paris stayed at Luke and Lorelai's house. "So Mom, have you thought of any names yet?"

"No, I have no idea. I'm thinking that maybe Luke should come up with something because I'll just want to name her Lorelai if it's a girl and I know nothing about boy names," Lorelai explained.

"You want me to name our baby?" Luke asked. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Well, you guys still have time before the baby comes," Sookie pointed out.

"Yeah, you guys have plenty of time," Jess chimed in. Lorelai nodded and rested her head on Luke's shoulder.

"I think that I'm going to bed," Lorelai announced.

"OK Mom. I'll bring Jess to the apartment and Paris to the inn and I'll be back in a little while," Rory told her.

"Thank you, Honey."

"Bye Sweets," Sookie said as everybody left. Rory and Jess got in the front of the car while Paris sat in the back.

"What a night," Paris said as they sat in the car.

"You're telling me," Rory said as she started the car. "Thanks for coming with us by the way, Paris."

"It's no problem. Do you mind dropping me off first?" Paris asked. "I have to finish a piece and send it in before morning, then I'm done for the week."

"Of course. It's nothing," Rory said. They drove past Luke's and kept driving as Jess sat quietly in the passenger's seat. "Jess, are you alright?"

"Uh yeah. I'm fine. I'll be fine," Jess answered as they pulled up to the Dragonfly. "Bye Paris."

"Bye Jess. Bye Rory. I'll see you and Lane tomorrow for shopping right?"

"Yeah, I'll pick you up and then we can get breakfast at Luke's and we'll all leave," Rory said before Paris got out of the car. "Want to do something before I bring you to Luke's?" She asked Jess.

"We could just hang out there if you want," Jess suggested.

"Ooh, I like that idea," Rory said as she pulled out of the Dragonfly's parking lot.

"You have a dirty mind Miss Gilmore," Jess told her.

"Oh, you know that you were thinking the same thing that I was."

"Yes, I was, but I didn't say anything about it."

"Jess, are you sure that you're OK?"

"Yes. I am fine. I'm just in a weird mood."

"You can be really cryptic sometimes. It makes me nervous," Rory told him as she pulled up in front of Luke's.

"Nervous about what? Rory, you know me. You know that I don't talk as much as others."

"Yeah, I know. Just talk to me when you need someone, OK?"

"Of course," Jess said when they got inside of the diner. "Lets go upstairs." Jess closed and locked the diner's door and walked behind the sheet that hides the stairs.

Rory followed him up the stairs. When they got into the apartment it was spotless. There was no bed just the couch and a cot. "Wow, this place has changed since Luke moved out."

"Yeah you should have seen it before he moved in with your mom."

"When did you see it before he moved in with my mom?"

"Since I couldn't make it for the wedding, I told him that I'd help him move in while you and Lorelai went away for the weekend," Jess explained as he sat down on the couch.

Rory sat down next to him on the couch. "Did you come when we were gone so that you didn't have to see me?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to screw things up for Luke so it was better that I did it then. It was nothing personal."

"Well, thats good. I'm so happy for them. I don't believe that they're having a baby."

"Yeah, I know. It's going to be interesting to see Luke with kids. I never thought that he would get married." Jess pulled Rory onto his lap. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have had such a crappy attitude."

"It's OK. A lot happened today. I understand. Just talk to me, K?"

"I already said that I would. And I will if ever need to."

"Good." Rory got comfortable on Jess' lap before she kissed him. "Hi."

"Hello." He kissed her lips hard and then he laid her down on the couch. They kept kissing until Jess' cell phone rang in his pocket. "Sorry," he said as he sat up. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Hey."

Rory sat up too. "Who is it?" She asked.

"Luke," Jess answered. "Yeah, she's here. Why?" Jess said into the phone.

"Lorelai wants her to come home. She needs to talk to her," Luke said to Jess.

"OK. I thought Lorelai was asleep."

"She was and then she woke up after, like, ten minutes and wanted to talk to Rory," Luke said. "Can you have her come home?"

"Sure," Jess said and then hung up the phone. "Your mom wants you home. I don't really know why, she just wants to talk to you."

"She wants to talk to me now? Man way to kill the mood," Rory said jokingly. Jess looked upset but kissed her on the lips romantically. "I'd stay, but it might be important."

"I know. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast right?"

"Yep. I love you Jess." Rory laid Jess down on the couch and kissed him very passionately on the lips.

"I love you too, Rory. I'll see you tomorrow." Rory got off of Jess and walked out of the apartment with disappointment in her eyes. "Bye."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Thanks so much for the pleasant reviews. I'm glad that people like it. I feel like it's lacked the last few chapters, so I'll try to make it better coming up. Read and Review and ENJOY!**

* * *

"Hey," Jess said to Rory when he saw her sitting in the diner.

"Hey," she said when Jess sat down next to her. He leaned in and kissed her.

"What did your mom want last night?" Jess asked when Paris returned from the bathroom. "Hey Paris."

"Hey Jess," Paris said.

"I don't know. She and Luke were both asleep when I got home and when I asked this morning, she said that she had forgotten," Rory told Jess and then took a sip of coffee.

"Luke just probably didn't want you with me. Oh well. So, today while you guys are gone I think that I might work for Luke. I need the cash and it will be really helpful for when we get back to the city," Jess told them.

"That's a good idea. I talked to Sarah last night after I dropped you guys off," Rory told Jess and Paris.

"What did she say?" Paris asked, looking at Rory.

"She just said that she missed us and that Dave's band was playing a show tonight and to tell Lane congratulations and good luck. I told her that I would and that I'd talk to her tonight," Rory explained. Lane walked into the diner and sat next to Paris.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to do some things with my mom," Lane explained. She grabbed Rory's coffee cup and took a sip. "Thanks."

"No problem," Rory said before she took a sip. "So, Sarah and Dave say congratulations and good luck this Saturday. Only five more days, how does it feel?" Rory asked.

"Scary, but amazing," Lane explained.

"Sure, that makes since," Jess said as he also took a sip of Rory's coffee. "Thanks."

"Hey, it's nothing." Rory took a deep breath and laid her head on Jess' shoulder.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I'm really tired for some reason. But, I am so excited to go shopping. I'm also really excited to see my maid of honor's dress," Rory said winking at Lane.

"I don't know if you'll like it. Momma made me pick it out, so it's not exactly what you or I would have wanted," Lane explained.

"You let your mother pick out the dresses to be worn in your wedding? I would never let my mother near anything having to do with my wedding," Paris said.

"I didn't want to, but it meant a lot to her. Rory knows my mother, so she knows how scary she can be," Lane told her.

"I'm pretty sure that she is the only women that I have ever called 'ma'am'," Jess pointed out.

"When did you call Mrs. Kim 'ma'am'?" Rory asked Jess.

"At that stupid dance marathon thing. It was the most awkward moment of my life, including everything I went through during puberty," Jess explained.

"That's funny," Rory told him. She finally lifted her head off of Jess' shoulder and drank the rest of her coffee. "Where's Luke?"

"He's probably still in bed," Paris said.

"He was gone when I left this morning, though. He doesn't seem to be here," Rory told them. "But, he was here. He left at about the same that you came downstairs," she said to Jess.

"I'll be right back," Jess said. He kissed Rory and walked behind the sheet to go upstairs. When he got upstairs to the apartment, he saw that the door was open. "Luke?" he called out when he walked into the apartment.

"Oh shit. What?" Luke asked when he walked out of the bathroom.

"What in the hell are you doing up here?"

"I was looking for some papers that I thought I left in here. What the hell does it have to do with you?"

"You were looking for papers in the bathroom? That seems a little odd," Jess pointed out. He sat down on the couch.

"I don't know where I left them. I decided to look everywhere. Again, what the hell does it have to do with you?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I know that it has something to do with me staying here last night. I'll let this one slide for now. Trust me Luke, I'm a better person than I was. I've grown up, I mean, I'm not perfect, but you need to trust me on this," Jess told his uncle.

Luke sat down next to Jess on the couch. "I know you've grown up, Jess. I'm trying to trust you, but it's Rory."

"Really? You don't think I noticed that it's been Rory I've been kissing?" Jess said sarcastically and then noticed the angered look on Luke's face. "OK, sorry. Like I said, I'm not the same person I was when I was eighteen." Jess looked at Luke before standing up and walking downstairs to the diner. He sat next to Rory, "Hey, you still need coffee?"

"No, Caesar gave me some. I was going to leave, but I wanted to talk to you first. Outside?" Rory asked Jess.

"Sure," Jess said. Rory stood up and walked outside and Jess followed. "What's up?"

"Are we taking this too fast? I mean, we've been together for, like, two days and we've already had sex once and almost at had sex at least three other times. It seems fast. I don't regret it or anything, but I don't want to screw this up or do this wrong," Rory rambled on.

Jess took both of her hands in his and put his forehead against hers. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He kissed her lips softly. "Rory, we can do this anyway that you want to. I don't want to mess this up, either. We can go as fast or as slow as you want, it's completely your call. But I have a question," Jess said still looking into her eyes.

"What's your question?" Rory asked as her heart skipped a beat, man alive, she loved this man.

"What made you think of this? Like, how did it get brought up?" Jess asked, naturally curious.

"I don't really know. I was thinking about it after I left you last night and then when you were upstairs with Luke, I figured that you were probably talking about us and it hit me again. Are you sure that it's OK to take this slow?" Rory asked, rambling again.

Jess kissed her lips again, a little longer this time. "Just not too slow," he responded with a smirk on his face. Rory let go of his hands and started to walk away, pretending to be mad. "Rory." She quickly turned around and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Not too slow," she responded. Jess wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked back into the diner where Paris and Lane were talking. "You guys want to go?" Rory asked when she and Jess stepped in front of the table.

"Gladly," Paris responded. Rory smiled at Jess and he kissed her quick on the lips.

"Bye Rory. I'll see you later. Bye Lane, bye Paris," Jess said before Rory kissed him one last time. Jess walked back behind the sheet to talk to Luke.

"How was that? Did he get mad?" Lane asked Rory as they left the diner.

"No, he claimed that he was fine with it. We'll see how things turn out. I'm happy, though. I love him and he loves me, so I think that it will work this time around," Rory told Paris and Lane when they reached Rory's car.

"I only hope so," Lane said, sitting in the backseat.

"Do you have doubts?" Rory asked when she started the car and pulled onto the street.

"I just know Jess, and I know the way he is. I'm sure that he's changed, but you can't change everything. You can't just forget a person's past, Ror. Be careful. Be happy, but be careful," Lane told her and Paris nodded in agreement. "I can tell he loves, so I think, to some degree, that it will definitely work out. But I do have doubts, only because you're my best friend."

"Thanks. We will make it work this time," Rory said with a smile.


	19. Chapter 19

When Rory, Lane, and Paris came back to Stars Hollow they stopped by the inn to see Lorelai and to let Paris drop her numerous bags off in her room. "Hey Mom," Rory said as she walked into the inn library with Lane.

"Hey Hon," Lorelai pulled Rory into a hug and said, "Hey Lane. Where's Paris?"

"She went upstairs to drop her bags off and she's meeting us down here when she's done," Lane explained.

"Oh, OK. So, how are things with Jess?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"They're good. We talked earlier today and decided to take our relationship a little slower," Rory explained. Lorelai nodded, a little confused. Paris walked into the library and sat in one of the chairs.

"Wait, slower than what?" Lorelai finally asked.

"Just slower than how we were taking it," Rory explained as she and Lane sat down in two other chairs.

"OK, I'm a little confused. We can talk later. So, Ladies, how was the shopping day?" Lorelai asked.

"It was great. We all went a little crazy," Lane explained.

"Yeah, I never should have bought everything that I did. I'll never wear it all. I don't even think that I like it all. It was fun though," Paris told Lorelai.

"I buy everything, even if I don't like it. So, don't worry about it, Paris. I've done it so many times," Lorelai said. "What about you, Honey. Anything good?"

"Oh yeah. I bought so much, good, bad, and in between. I learned from the best. It was a lot of fun too," Rory said with a smile.

"I agree. It was a lot of fun," Lane said. "OK, so I have to go meet my mother. I'm afraid that we have some last minute wedding preparations. Rory, I'll see you tomorrow and we can see how you like the dress."

"Bye Lane," Rory said.

"Bye Hon," Lorelai told her.

"Bye," Paris said as Lane got up and left. Lorelai sat in the chair that Lane had just got out of. "I think that I'm gonna go upstairs and rest. I'll call you about tonight," Paris said to Rory. "I'll see you later, Lorelai."

"Bye Paris," Lorelai responded.

"I'll talk to you later," Rory said before Paris got up and left the room.

"So, back to you and Jess taking it slower. Slower than what?"

"Just slower."

"How far have you guys gone? I mean, you've only been back together for a couple of days."

"We've gone pretty far," Rory said trying to side step the fact that they had already had sex.

"Like... sex far? That doesn't seem like you, Rory."

"Yeah, I know. But, when I'm with Jess its OK. He reads me so well and he knows when he's doing something wrong. It wasn't wrong when we had sex, I think that it just happened too fast. I don't regret it, Mom," Rory explained to Lorelai.

"If you're happy, I'm happy." Lorelai smiled.

"I am happy, Mom. So, new subject. How is it being pregnant after twenty-five years. It's very modern, Mom. Very modern."

"I'm too old for this. I'm so happy it's happening, but I'm old and Luke's older than I am. I hope that we can handle it. I'm really interested to see how Luke will be with kids. I've seen him with some kids, but never his own, you know?"

"I know. Me and Jess were talking about it last night. I'm really happy for you guys, though. You can do it. I know that you can, Mom. If you could deal with me, you can surely deal with a new baby. Especially now that you're more mature and you have someone to help. It will work. You always have me. I can come up from New York whenever you want me too," Rory told Lorelai.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. You have a life outside of Stars Hollow, now. A good life, too. You have an amazing job, you have great friends, and you have a boyfriend who loves you. You have the life I always wanted you to have and the life I always knew you could have. You have a life that so many girls dream of. You've got it babe, don't let it go."

"I don't plan on letting it go. But I was talking to Paris the other day and I discovered that I might not want to stay in New York. It never feels homey enough. I'm happy for now, but I'm not staying there forever. Stars Hollow is my home and I want to end up here."

"In Stars Hollow? Really? There's not much that you can write in Stars Hollow, Hon," Lorelai pointed out.

"There's a good chance that I can send my work in from here. I barely ever go to work. All they need are pieces, which can be sent via e-mail, and if I have to attend a meeting, it's only a few hours from here and I can do it."

"You sound serious about this."

"I am. I definitely don't want to come back here now, but maybe once the baby is born. I just know that here is home. Stars Hollow is home."

"OK. I like this since it is completely what you want. What about Jess? What does he have to say about this?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing. I haven't told him yet. Nothing is set in stone, its only what I'm thinking."

"I think that maybe you should all of this. He should know if you plan on leaving New York in what could be a matter of months. Hon, he has a right to know that his girlfriend will be leaving him eventually."

"I can always handle a long distance relationship if I need to."

"Does he want that. Ror, you need to talk to him about this. This is a major life-changing decision. Talk to him."

"I know. Maybe once we get back to New York."

"OK. So, I have to go back to work. I'll see you later?" Lorelai asked Rory as she stood up.

"Yes, I'll see you at home. Bye," Rory said as she hugged her mother goodbye and turned to leave the inn. Lorelai watched her daughter with adoring eyes. Rory got into her car and drove to her house to drop off her bags. On the short drive, she was listening to a new CD that she had bought and singing along to one of the songs when her phone rang. It was Jess.

"Hey you," Rory said into the phone when she answered it.

"Hey. Where are you?" Jess asked on the other end.

"I'm in my car. I just drove past Luke's. I have to go home and drop off my bags. Why?" Rory asked.

"I was just wondering. I'm kind of sick of working so, I was hoping that maybe you would want to do something with me."

"OK, I'll be at the house if you want to come over. We can watch a movie or something. I'm here so, do you want to come over?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Bye," Jess said. Rory hung up her phone and got out of her car. She went to her trunk and grabbed her bags and brought them inside. When she walked into her room she started putting things away immediately, she didn't want to stall. It would be easier to get it done before Jess came over. She finished as soon as she heard the doorbell ring. When she answered it, Jess was standing in front of her with a big smile on his face. "Hello Rory."

"Hi Jess. What's up with your face?" Rory asked as she tilted her head to look at him more closely.

"My face? My face is perfect," Jess said as he pushed past Rory to get inside the house.

"Are you drunk? I've never seen you drunk so, I wouldn't know. Are you?" Rory asked when she found Jess looking in the refrigerator.

"It's three o'clock in the afternoon. I do not drink at three o'clock in the afternoon. Nobody but alcoholics drink at three o'clock in the afternoon, and I, Rory Gilmore, am no alcoholic."

"OK. So, if you're not drunk, then what's up?"

"Nothing. I'm bored. I forgot how much I hated working at the diner until today. I can't wait until we get back to New York," Jess said as he gave a Rory a hug. Rory hugged him back, but made a sad face while doing so. She wanted Jess to come with her when she came to Stars Hollow, but it seemed that Jess would never do that.

"Yeah, me too. Home," Rory said when Jess pulled away. "So, what do you feel like doing?"

"I don't know. Did I tell you that I was bored. Because, I am. So, how was your day?"

"It was a lot of fun. I missed you though. I had a nice day with my friends and a nice talk with my mom when we got back," Rory explained. She decided that if she were going to bring up her coming back to Stars Hollow, she should do it now, only if he asked. Jess sat down at the kitchen table and Rory sat across from him.

"Yeah. What did you guys talk about?" Jess asked, looking up from his feet.

"The future."

"What about the future?" Jess asked. "Who's future?"

"Mine. We were just talking about the fact that I really miss Stars Hollow and how I might move back once the baby is born..." Rory said, trailing off.

"Moving back here? Since when do you want to move back here? I didn't know that you wanted to move back here. What about New York? What about work?"

"I've never wanted to stay in New York my entire life. Stars Hollow is my home, Jess. I've always planned on coming back. New York is good for now, but in six months, maybe not. And I can send in work through e-mail."

"Rory, what about us? What about this newfound relationship we got going on? I thought that we wanted to make this work," Jess sounded hurt so Rory grabbed his hand. He didn't pull away, he just looked into her eyes.

"I know Jess. I don't want to mess this up. I really want it to work. We can do a long distance relationship or maybe, I don't know, you could come back with me."

"I'm never committing to a long distance relationship. All those are, are lies. And me coming to live in Stars Hollow. I hate this place. You are the only thing that I have ever liked in Stars Hollow. I love you and Luke. And my mom is here now and everything, but it's Stars Hollow. If i decided to come back with you, I'm not saying that I will, what about my job and my friends? What about your friends?"

"I know that I'd be giving up a lot if I came back. Sarah, Paris, Dave, and what sounds like to be you. I'd also gain so much. My mom, Luke, a new sibling, Lane, Zach, my hometown, good coffee. Jess, nothing is for sure, but I'm not staying in New York much longer. I don't want to. The only thing I have there that I can't have here is you and, believe me, thats so much, but I can't stay where I'm not happy for a guy, even if it is you."

"Huh. So, basically, we break up in six months or however long so that you can come back to Stars fucking Hollow? Wow, two days and we're already done."

"Jess, don't say that. I don't want that. I want you and Stars Hollow. It's selfish and not fair to you at all, but that is what I want." Rory now had a few tears in her eyes. Jess felt sorry, but wasn't sure what to do.

"Rory, don't cry. Please. How about we watch a movie and talk about this once we get back to the city? What movie do you want to watch?"

Rory stood up and walked to the other side of the table where Jess was sitting and sat on his lap. "I don't know. What do you want to watch?" Rory laid her head on Jess' head and he wrapped both of his arms around her waist and squeezed for a short hug. "I'm sorry Jess. I needed to tell you. I was going to wait until we got back, but I thought it was best to do it now."

"I guess, in some ways, it is. It gives us both more time on the subject." Jess rested his chin on Rory's shoulder. "So, what do you want to do right now?"

"I'm tired. You can leave, I guess, because I think that I'm gonna take a nap."

"How about we nap together? We can sleep on this whole New York to Stars Hollow fiasco we have together," Jess suggested and Rory's eyes sparkled.

"I love you, did you know that?" Rory asked when she got off Jess and took his hand.

Jess accepted her hand and followed her into her bedroom. "I love you too, but we have a lot to think about, OK?"

"I know. Let us sleep," Rory announced. She got into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Jess climbed in behind her and put his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her stomach. "I do love you, Jess. Sweet dreams."

"Yeah, sweet dreams to you too," Jess said awkwardly. "I love you." and with that they fell silent and fell asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

The next day when Rory woke up, she found Luke and Lorelai in the kitchen. "Hey guys," she said when she stepped out of her room.

"Hey Hon. How'd you sleep? You came in late," Lorelai said when Rory was pouring herself some coffee.

"Yeah, me and Paris decided to go out to the movies and then I came home. I slept good though what about you?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"I slept well. Luke didn't though," Lorelai said, looking at Luke.

"Why not Luke?" Rory asked as she sat down next to him at the table.

"Your mother kept kicking me in her sleep. She's just lucky that I didn't have to get up early or anything. So, Rory, how are things with Jess?" Luke asked as he took a sip of water.

"As good as expected after the conversation we had last night," Rory told him with a half smile on her face.

"Did you talk to him about you moving back here?" Lorelai asked when she took a sip of juice.

"Yeah. He didn't take it so well. He asked me like nine million questions and I get it, but it sucked. He was concerned about us and the fact that he would never do a long distance relationship and how it would be unlikely for him to come back with me. I definitely cried," Rory told her mom.

"Honey, I'm so sorry."

"When did you decide to move back to Stars Hollow?" Luke asked realizing that he had no idea what was going on.

"A while ago. Yesterday was when I really made it official, even though it's not official. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to stay in New York anymore, Stars Hollow is what I am and it's what I want to stay. Three years in New York is a lot and I think it's enough," Rory explained to her oblivious stepfather. "I'm going to take a shower." Rory left the table leaving Luke and Lorelai alone in the kitchen.

Lorelai tried to swiftly take a sip of Rory's coffee until Luke noticed. "Lorelai, no. this was your decision. Now I have to go to the diner. I'll be home later." Luke got up and emptied the cup of coffee and then emptied the pot, leaving Lorelai with none left.

"Bye," Lorelai said as she stood up. Luke grabbed her arm when she tried walking out of the kitchen but Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

"Bye," Luke said and then left.

After Rory had gotten dressed she met her mother in the living room. "I'm going out. We'll do something later if you want."

"Oh OK. Sounds fun. We'll decide when you get back from wherever. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Jess and see what he thinks now that he's slept on it twice and talk about it and then we're going to get something to eat."

"OK daughter. I'll see you later," Lorelai said. She blew Rory a kiss and Rory did the same. Rory walked outside to her car. When she turned it on, the CD that she and Paris listened to the night before blasted in her ears. She quickly turned it down and pulled out of her driveway. When she pulled in front of Luke's she looked into the diner and didn't see Jess. She assumed that he was in the apartment.

"Hey Luke. Do you know where Jess is?" Rory asked when she walked into the diner.

"Well he sure as hell isn't working."

"So, he's upstairs?" Rory asked.

"Yes he he is upstairs. He's the one that needs them money. I just don't get him," Luke said before he walked away from Rory to give customers their order.

Rory walked to the stairs and immediately heard Jess' music coming from upstairs. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer so she knocked again. Again there was no answer so she hit the door with a closed fist. Jess answered the door with wet hair and nothing on but a towel. "Hey Rory," Jess said. He put his hand on the small of her back and pulled her close to him and kissed her.

Rory kissed him back, but pulled away and looked him up and down. "Am I early?"

"A little bit. Come in sit down and I'll be out in a minute," Jess said as he walked into the bathroom. Rory did as she was told and sat down on the couch after closing the door. When Jess came out of the bathroom he was wearing jeans and nothing else. "Hey," he said when he sat on the couch next to Rory.

"Hi," Rory said. She leaned over and put her hands on Jess' bare chest and kissed him passionately. "So have you thought about it?" Rory asked pulling away and laying her head on his lap.

Jess looked down at her while playing with her hair that was spread out over his lap. "Yeah, it is all that I've thought about."

"What did this thinking lead you to? Do you have a decision or anything that you'd like to share?"

"I don't want this to end and I don't want to leave the city. I've come to the conclusion that maybe I could move to Connecticut but not Stars Hollow. I can't live in this half-mile, four-block, freakhole of a medical experiment again. Other places close to it, yes. Hartford, New Haven, that I can do, but not Stars Hollow. It wouldn't be a long distance relationship, it would be a short distance one and it'd be worth it," Jess said. Rory's face lit up and she jumped off of the couch and onto Jess' lap so that she was straddling him.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him into a romantic kiss that lasted minutes at least. When she finally pulled away she said, "I love you. You are the most amazing man ever to walk the streets of this half-mile, four-block, freakhole of a medical experiment. I could never find anyone better to be with than you. I love you so much."

Jess put his hands on her back and pulled her into a kiss. He was happy and the move would be well worth it, hopefully. They had been kissing for another few minutes when Jess pulled his head back. "So, me, a Connecticut man. Can you see it?"

"Oh yes. I can see it completely. You've lived in Connecticut before. I'm happy. Don't do this unless you want it though. Are you happy?"

"I think so. I don't think I'll know until I move, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand. But don't do this if you're gonna regret it, OK?"

"Rory stop trying to talk me out of this. I came up with this decision, remember?"

"Yes. So, we're both happy. I like this plan and I love you. Thank you and I am so sorry that I had to put you in this position." Rory kissed Jess again and unbuttoned his pants. "Slow is overrated."


	21. Chapter 21

"OK, maybe I will move to Stars Hollow if that happens again," Jess said, getting off of the couch and pulling up his pants.

"Jess!" Rory said when she found her own pants. "I'm happy with the decision and you're happy with the decision. So, lets stick with the decision." Rory put on her clothes while Jess sat down on the couch.

"Thank God Luke didn't come upstairs. That would have been really bad," Jess pointed out.

"Holy crap, I would die. I would just stop living. That would be the worst thing ever!" Rory sat down next to Jess. "OK, I need to go home soon. I told my mom that I would do something with her later after we went out for food. So, do you want to go get food now or do something later?"

"I am up for anything. I will eventually have to finish the clothing process, but I am hungry," Jess said.

"Yeah? Good, because I am starving. I don't really want to eat downstairs today though. I was thinking that we could go to Weston's or Al's."

"Weston's sounds good. I am never eating at Al's Pancake World again. Not after what happened the last time we went." Jess got off of the couch and walked over to his duffel bag. He rummaged through it until he found a clean red t-shirt. After he put the t-shirt on, he found Rory standing inches away from his face. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied. She gave him a quick kiss and walked past him to the door. "Are you ready?"

"I might need shoes for this little rendezvous," Jess said. Rory looked down at his feet and nodded. Jess smiled and found his black converse near the door and quickly put them on. "OK, now I am ready."

"Finally," Rory said sarcastically. Jess walked behind her and pushed her into the hallway. They walked down the stairs together and when they landed in the diner Luke stopped in front of them.

"Where are you guys going?" Luke asked.

"Oh, we were going to go get something to eat," Rory told him with a smile.

"This is a diner, you know," Luke informed them.

"We thought that we'd try something different. This is all that we've eaten since we got back from the city. I'll be back later," Jess said and with that Rory smiled her goodbye and they left the diner.

They walked down the street to Weston's and sat at a table near the window. "This is nice," Rory said when they got their coffees.

"I'm not complaining," Jess said after he took a sip of his coffee. "So, what are you and your mom doing today?"

"I'm not sure. I just suggested tat we do something because we haven't spent much time together since we got back. I'll let her chose what she wants to do, she'll think of something fun. What are you gonna do today? Are you gonna work at the diner?"

"I don't want to. I'll probably just rest today and see where it goes from there." Jess smirked at Rory when he saw her face light up with a smile. "What?"

"Nothing. You are so weird sometimes. You never have a plan, you live spontaneously. I love that about you," Rory said and then her smile faded when she saw Dean walk past her and Jess' table.

"Rory, Jess. Wow, I never thought I'd see either of you in this town again. I heard that you came back, though, and that you were together," Dean said from behind Rory.

"So, Buddy. How's the wife?" Jess asked sarcastically.

"Oh, you know, better than she was when we were together," Dean said looking at Rory. "Your girlfriend, here, really knows how to ruin a marriage." With that Dean left Weston's without looking back.

"Huh, want to elaborate on that?" Jess asked looking straight at Rory.

"I forgot to tell you this. You're really gonna love it, or completely hate it. See, me and Dean kind of 'hooked up' the night of that the Dragonfly was having a test run. After, I went to Europe with my Grandma and I didn't speak to him I just sent him a letter. My mom gave him the letter and apparently, Lindsay found it and broke the whole marriage thing off," Rory started to explain and Jess blankly stared at her, listening and sipping coffee. "When I got back from Europe, I went to his house and eventually, we decided to be together. We were for awhile, until my grandparents threw a party for me with a bunch of guys from Yale and their parents. I was hanging out with this kid, Logan, when Dean came to pick me up and then he broke up with me. Long time ago, though." Rory finally finished her explanation and took a sip of her own coffee.

"Yeah, I completely hate it." Jess nodded and then leaned back in his chair as if he was exhausted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think that you'd want to hear about my love life. I don't want to know about yours. It would hurt too much to hear about you being with other girls, so I thought that you'd feel the same way about me."

"If you want to tell me something about you being with another girl, go right ahead," Jess said with a huge smirk on his face.

"Ha. No, I meant about me with other guys. You just wouldn't want to hear about it," Rory explained.

"I know what you meant. I was kidding. I wouldn't, and I necessarily don't, want to hear about you and other guys. But it was Dean. We both have some kind of history with Dean. You, romantically and sexually. Me, lots of fights and arguments and hate. I hated him the second I found out that he was your boyfriend, Rory. I guess, that it's something I would have want to know so that if it ever came up, I wouldn't be completely caught off guard. Like I just was."

"Sorry," Rory said grabbing Jess' hand.

"It's OK," Jess leaned across the table and kissed her lips tenderly. "He's an ass."

"Yeah, he really is."

* * *

Rory walked into her mother's house to find her mother and her stepfather making out on the couch. "Oh my GOD!" Rory ran past them and into her room, giggling once she got there.

Lorelai got off of the couch and followed her daughter into her bedroom. "Hey Hon. Sorry about that. I heard that you and Jess had gone out for lunch, I wasn't expecting you for awhile."

"It's OK. It's your house. You can do whatever you want in your house. Maybe I should have knocked."

"No, you shouldn't have. It's just as much your house as it his house. So, it must be hard being twenty-five and seeing your mother doing that.'"

"You know, lately I feel like I'm seventeen again. Being back in the house, even if it has been two days, and being with Jess, and having Jess and Dean be asses to each other with me in the middle."

"Wait, when did you run into Dean?"

"He actually saw us at Weston's and came in to start trouble. Jess asked him how his wife was and he said something about how she was better than she was when they were together and then said that I really know how to ruin a marriage."

"Wow, that must have started some conversation with you and Jess."

"Basically. I had to tell him the whole story and he seemed a little upset, but we're OK. Oh, and he's moving to Connecticut when I move back."

"Oh, Hon, that's really good. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Shouldn't you get back to your husband?"

"Oh he left when I got off the couch. He was embarrassed," Lorelai told Rory who smiled.

"Sorry that I interrupted. So, what do you want to do?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. Movie? We can have a movie night during the day. Apparently, Lane and Paris are hanging out today. I thought that was weird."

"They've become pretty close. Oh well. I like the movie night idea. But do we have junk food now, with Luke living in the house?"

"Rory, if anything, I am a world class junk food hider. Luke is clueless."

"I doubt that Luke is clueless, he's probably just letting it go since his wife is pregnant. What movie?" Rory asked, getting off of her bed.

"Footloose?"

"Perfect."


	22. Chapter 22

Now, on Saturday, the day of Lane and Zach's wedding, Rory was with Lane and Paris at Lane's house. "I'm kind of nervous," Rory told them.

"I'm sorry? You're nervous? I'm the one who's getting married in a few hours. I'm not going to think about it until it's completely necessary. Lets talk about the bachelorette party, that was so fun," Lane said pacing in her bathrobe.

"It was fun. I haven't been that drunk in a while," Paris told them. "I wonder how the bachelor party went. Have you talked to Jess about it?" Paris asked Rory.

"I didn't see him this morning. I came here and I'll see him just before the wedding. I'm happy that I didn't drink last night, Jess wasn't there to save me," Rory laughed.

"Now, I wish I had had a few drinks last night. Maybe I can have one now, to calm my nerves," Lane suggested.

"Lane, no. That isn't necessary. It's going be perfect. You and Zach are so happy and you are going to stay happy. This is the right move for you. You've got a damn good life, don't ruin it with a drink. And think about it, what would you do if Momma Kim walked in on her drunk daughter on the day of her wedding. I know that it wouldn't be good," Rory pointed out.

"OK, I'm with you there. You guys should go get dressed and then you can help me get dressed and take some pictures. Rory, I am so sorry again about the hideous dress," Lane told her.

"Don't be. It's actually not that bad. It's not something that I would ever think of wearing, but it's not as bad as I was expecting," Rory said and then her and Paris left the room with their garment bags so that they could get changed in the other room and the bathroom. "I'll take the bathroom," Rory offered.

"OK, I'll see you in a few minutes," Paris said before she walked into the guest room. When Rory was done changing she left the bathroom at the same time that Paris was leaving the guest room. "Nice," Paris told her.

"You look so pretty, Paris," Rory said and all of a sudden Lane poked her head out from her bedroom.

"Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller, lets go," Lane yelled to them. "Momma is coming home soon and she said that I have to be ready for pictures or else. I do not want to know what the 'or else' is."

Rory and Paris followed her back into her room. Rory opened the large garment bag holding Lane's dress and put the dress on the back of the door. "At least your dress is beautiful," Paris commented.

"I know. I love it," Lane said. She took off her bathrobe and had her slip on while she stepped into her dress that Rory and Paris were now holding. Once Lane was in her wedding dress, Rory zipped the back.

"Perfect," Rory commented. All of a sudden there were tears in Rory's and Lane's eyes. "I'm going to miss you."

"Miss me? You're moving back here in six months and we talk almost everyday when you're in New York," Lane pointed out. "You won't have time to miss me."

"I'm gonna miss talking to you about my boy troubles because you'll be in utopia with your husband. I'll miss being able to pull you away at any moment when something comes up because you'll have your husband. And I'll miss having you to myself because I'll be at least second on your list, if not lower, because you'll have your husband," Rory blurted out, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Rory, you don't have to worry about 'my husband' ever getting in the way of our friendship. Zach knows that I need to talk to you and that you need to talk to me. He gets that and even if he tried stopping me, I would never stand for it." Lane hugged Rory and rubbed her back. When they pulled away from their hug they saw that Paris had tears in her eyes also and they all joined a joyful, somewhat sappy, group hug.

Rory still wasn't ready to let Lane go, but decided that it was necessary. Not to mention, she had Paris and Sarah. She had Jess and her mother too. It had always been different with Lane. They were eternally best friends and now that Lane was about to get hitched, Rory really regretted that she felt as happy as she did for Lane. She was happy, she was over the top, but she knew that she would miss her and she knew things would change, but she had to move on.

Paris didn't even know that Rory was moving back to Stars Hollow until Lane pointed it out to Rory earlier. While Lane was asked for alone time with her mother, Paris and Rory waited outside. "So, you're moving back in six months?" Paris asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I had just decided the other day when Jess told me that he would move to Connecticut to stay close. I didn't know how to tell you and I don't know how I'm going to tell Sarah either. Paris, don't think that since I'm moving back we won't stay friends. We will, I'd never let that happen. We've been too close for too long to just stop being friends because of a few miles," Rory told her.

"I know that we won't stop being friends. We just won't be as close as we have been for so long. You'll be missing Lane while me and Sarah will be stuck alone in that apartment, missing you."

"I'm going to be missing you guys too. Always. I'll talk to you everyday and all night if I have to. I still have six months left in New York, we still have time to figure out long distance rates for phone calls and anything else that we need to, to stay as close as possible," Rory gave Paris a hug. Behind Rory, stood a smirking Jess, dressed nicely in a suit.

"Rory," Paris said before pulling apart from Rory and walking back inside Lane's house.

"Hey, sorry I interrupted," Jess said after greeting Rory with a short, but tender kiss.

"It's OK. It will be, anyways. So how was the bachelor party? Any dirty whores try anything on you?" Rory asked when she laid her head on Jess' chest.

"Rory, there were absolutely no whores at a bachelor party. Not even strippers. It was really mellow. I only had one beer and I had to keep an eye on Zach," Jess told Rory.

"Why did you have to keep an eye on Zach?" Rory asked, a little shocked.

"Lane threatened me with bodily harm if I let him get too crazy. He stayed in line, I didn't even have to talk to him about misbehaving," Jess said with an awkward tone.

"Oh... OK. So, how's your day been so far?"

"Long. I feel stupid in this suit. At least it's not a tux, though."

"Yeah, I know. I missed you last night, we didn't get a 'proper goodnight' in before we left for the parties."

"I don't think that I've given you the 'proper hello' yet either," Jess pointed out.

"No, I don't think you did." Rory gave Jess an imitation of his smirk, shortly followed by the real thing from Jess. Before Rory could even wipe the smirk from her face Jess' lips were gently pushed against hers in an intense kiss. Rory kissed him back with all she had, wanting so much more, but staying as calm as possible. Jess lifted his right hand and rested it on the back of her neck, pushing her into his kiss a little harder before Rory pulled away, needing air. "Wow. You are really good at saying hello."

Jess smirked again before kissing her one last time, quickly. "I love you." That was all that Jess had to say to make Rory blush, that's why he did it so often. He loved the way that she blushed, it made her seem so innocent and fragile and that he had to take care of her. This time around he embraced having to take care of her.

"I love you too."

"Good. I should probably get back to Luke's. I don't want to, but I should."

"I don't want you to either, but you should. Not to mention, I should have been inside five minutes ago. I love you and I'll see you later," Rory was about to walk away before Jess pulled her body into his.

She landed with her hand on his chest and a smile on her face. Jess kissed her more passionately than ever before and she was caught off guard at first, but put her all in to it after a few seconds. "Really, you're amazing," Rory said after she pulled away from his lips. "I'll see you soon. I'll be the one before the bride." Rory winked at Jess, who smirked, and walked away into the Kim's house. Jess watched her leave before he turned back towards Luke's.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N- this is one of my favorite chapters so far. i think that the lack of dialogue in the beginning is good. i hope you agree. ENJOY!#$&!**

* * *

While Rory walked down the aisle of the small church, all eyes on her, she smiled at Jess, who was sitting in the second row at the end. Her bouquet was small, but gave off a mesmerizing aroma when she stopped in the front of the church, still eying Jess. Jess gave her a look that made her stomach drop once the music started and Lane emerged down the aisle. Now, Jess stood, along with everyone else, and watched Lane gracefully walk the aisle smiling towards her destination: Zach. Zach smiled back, Rory's face lit up, Lorelai and Mrs. Kim had tears in their eyes, Luke rubbed Lorelai's back and smiled, Paris smiled widely, and Jess showed a hint of a smile.

Once Lane had reached the front of the church, standing in front of Zach, her smile grew and she broke into a small giggle. Zach's face was indescribable, he was too happy to have an expression that was recognizable. They walked the rest of the way to the priest and recited their vows. Everybody had smiles wiped across their faces the entire ceremony, up until the first kiss as man and wife. Then, everybody cheered, full of joy.

Lane and Zach walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, smiling wider than ever thought possible. Rory met Jess before he kissed her romantically on the lips and grabbed her by the waist to walk out together. Lorelai and Luke followed shortly after, Mrs. Kim cut both couples off and met her daughter and new son in law outside of the church. Lorelai and Luke ended up walking next to Rory and Jess. Rory gave her mom a quick hug and Luke a sweet smile. "That was amazing," Lorelai commented.

"It was her perfect wedding," Rory chimed in.

"It was nice for having her mom want to dictate it so badly," Jess gave his opinion, his arm rested around Rory's waist again.

"That's true," Lorelai said as they walked out of the church, people behind them, and people already outside. By the time Rory had gotten to Lane, she was kissing Zach.

"Hey there married woman," Rory said to get her attention, a big smile spreading across her face.

"Rory!" Lane hugged her and whispered, "Not too much will change. You're my best friend."

They pulled apart and Rory smiled, "I know that now. I was too emotional before. I am so happy for you guys." Rory walked over to Zach and gave him a short hug. "Congratulations."

"Thanks Rory," Zach told her. "Hey Jess." Zach reached for Jess' hand and Jess shook it willingly.

"You did good," Jess said before he and Rory walked away together. "Have you heard from Dave?" He asked, once they were out of earshot.

"No, you?"

"Yeah. He called me yesterday. He said that he was going out of town for a while. To California. Did Sarah say anything about it last time you guys had talked?"

"Well, she said that she and Dave were planning something, but she never said what. That might be it, going to California. As long as he doesn't go without her or without telling her. I know how that feels."

"Right. I was a jackass. You know that I'd never do that to you now? I've change, granted, I haven't changed much. I've definitely changed. I told you years ago that you can count on me, so please, count on me. You really can," Jess said, he was nervous, but tried to hide it. Rory still noticed it.

"I know." With those two words, Jess was smiling. "You don't do that nearly enough." Rory kissed him, a quick kiss, but full of meaning.

"It's because of you," Jess told her, truthfully. "It's always been because of you." He smiled at her again and pulled her tightly for a hug. "I love you, do not give up on me," he whispered into her ear.

"Never," she told him. With that, they met Luke and Lorelai in the square. "Hey Mom, Luke."

"Hey Rory. How's Lane?" Lorelai asked, looking at Lane across the street, surrounded by friends and family.

"Happy, really happy. Zach seems it too," Rory told her. "How are you? The baby?"

"We're both good. This little arrangement we seem to be setting up, I think it's gonna work," Lorelai said, now looking from Rory to Luke.

"Arrangement?" Jess asked, a little confused.

"Well, with Rory coming back once the baby is born and you following suit, I don't see why I'll ever have to hire a babysitter," Lorelai explained.

"I don't do babysitting. Nobody has any right to trust me with their kid," Jess told her.

"Oh, believe me, Jess, I know. I don't think I've ever trusted you with mine. You seem like a better guy though, hopefully I can now."

"You can," Rory told her mother. "With the new one though, I'm not sure. I just don't see Jess and babies."

"I never thought Luke would be good with babies, I still don't. He seems to have grasped the idea of being a father, though, I think he'll survive. And if Luke can do it, Jess can do it... Maybe," Lorelai said.

"I'm not so sure about how my fathering skills will be. I'll try, though. Always," Luke said and kissed the top of Lorelai's head. "We should get going though, Lorelai should be getting to bed."

"OK guys." Rory hugged her mom and Luke. Jess shook Luke's hand and waved goodbye to Lorelai. "I love you."

"You too, Sweets," and they left Jess and Rory alone in the square.

"We have to go home tomorrow. I don't want to," Rory whined.

"We'll be back soon enough. Don't worry, it will go by quick before we get back here," Jess told her, hugging her. "Oh, good news," he said after he pulled away, now holding her hands. "I talked to my mom yesterday and told her that we were moving back to Connecticut. She just left Stars Hollow for some place up in Maine, but also kept her house she and TJ have here. She offered to let you live in it, really cheap, relatively nice, big enough for you and all of your stuff, not to mention, an extra bedroom. She'd love for you to stay there."

"Oh my God. That would be amazing. What about you? Why can't you take it?"

"It's here, in Stars Hollow. I'm not ready for that yet. I don't know if I'll like the fact that my mom will be your landlord, but your completely welcome to it. It'd be easier too, you wouldn't have to look for a place." Jess pulled Rory's arm so that she was inches from his body. "Remember how you said that we would have fun before, during, and even more fun after the wedding?"

"Jess, we still have to go to the reception. I have to give my speech," Rory told him, squirming in his arms, but loving the idea. "We can't, not now."

"The speeches aren't until later. As long as you're here for that-"

"And the dance," Rory blurted.

"No, I don't dance. I can't, well I can, but I still won't, sorry."

"So, what? I'll have to dance with Kirk? He already got to see me in that lingerie." Rory smiled at Jess and he kissed her forehead, remembering the joke.

"Fine, we stay for the dance and the speech. But then, we go back to the apartment, for our own type of dancing."

"Ooh. Deal."

"And please, stop bringing up Kirk. It really freaks me out," Jess told her. Rory laughed and pulled Jess to the reception, starting at Miss Patty's.


	24. Chapter 24

Paris left a day early. She decided to fly, and give Jess and Rory some alone time. She had left a little before the party ended so that she could catch her plane and Rory gave her a ride, never getting to give Jess his little "dance" until she returned. "Hey," she said walking into the apartment above the diner. The diner was closed, but Jess had left the door unlocked for Rory.

"Hi," Jess said, getting off of of the bed. "How's Paris?"

"She was excited to get back." She kissed his lips. "I was just excited to come back to see you."

"Good. I was excited to see you too. Come on," he led her to the couch and turned on the TV. "I'm pretty beat though. I'm not gonna lie. The party got pretty wild at the end, I decided to leave when I saw Dean. I hate him."

"I know, Jess. I was there practically every time you guys were together. He hates you, too, if it's any consolation." Rory smiled at him, a sweet smile.

"Well, I never thought that I hated him while he was secretly gay for me. He's a jealous asshole, nothing more," Jess told her. She moved closer to him on the couch and laid her head on his chest. "Hey, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired too. We have to pack though, because we should leave early tomorrow. I need to work and I'm guessing you do too."

"Actually, yeah I do. I don't want to work, it's too early. I don't know if we'll be back in time, so I'll have to show up late and then walk around the city for three hours. Not my idea of a good time, not to mention the fact that I won't be able to see you after you drop me off. I've been with you everyday since we've been together," Jess said, but when he looked down at Rory for a response, she was asleep. He kissed her forehead and turned off the TV, thankful that she hadn't heard the cheesy side of him. He got off of the couch, trying not to wake Rory, and moved to his duffel bag. He opened it and then opened of the drawers holding his clothes and started packing.

When he was finished he left for Lorelai's and Luke's. It was past midnight, but Lane, Zach, and the rest of the town were still scattered around, enjoying the party. When Jess got to the house he found the hidden key and unlocked the door. He wasn't expecting to see anybody, so when he saw Luke he almost yelled, but then realized who it was and that they were asleep. Jess walked into Rory's room and found the bags that she had brought and started packing her stuff when he heard someone in the kitchen. He figured it was either Luke or Lorelai, but when he opened the bedroom door and saw Rory he said, "Uh, hi."

"Holy crap, Jess. You scared me," Rory jumped at the sound of his voice. "I woke up and you were gone. What the hell are you doing?"

"I came to pack so that you wouldn't have to worry about it. Did you know that I was here, or did you just come so you could get to bed?"

"Honestly, I came back for my bed. I figured that you'd be back eventually, so I left you a note," she said as she walked into her bedroom with him. "But it was very nice of you to come and pack for me. I appreciate it greatly." She kissed him long on the lips until they were laying on her bed.

"We seem to be ending up like this quite a bit lately," Jess teased. "I'm not complaining, but come on, Gilmore, have some self control."

Rory didn't answer, she just shook her head, with a smile, and pushed her lips to his and he kissed back, now his hands in her hair. Her hands went from his chest to the hem of his t-shirt. She felt her way to the back of it and started to pull it off. "Why does packing have this affect on us?" She asked before taking his shirt off completely.

"I just think you like to look at my bare chest. Don't worry, I have that affect on a lot of people," Jess told her and then proceeded on kissing her and he took off her shirt. "I love you," he whispered into her neck.

"I love you too, Jess." Now the kissing was in full swing when they heard a noise in the kitchen.

"Good God. Have we ever been alone when we try to do this?" Jess asked when Rory jumped off him and put her shirt on.

"Honestly, I think it was a one time deal," she handed him his shirt and while he was putting it on, she opened her door a crack to see Lorelai going through the fridge. She closed the door again. "Late night cravings, I guess." Jess shrugged and laid down comfortably on Rory's bed.

"Come on," he told her. He put his hands behind his head and she laid down on her small bed, cuddling close to him. He put one of his arms down and gracefully hugged Rory's shoulders before they both fell asleep.

Lorelai walked into Rory's room and almost fell back when she noticed Jess asleep with her daughter. She looked at the clock and realized that she had to wake them up or they'd both be late for whatever they had to do in New York. Lorelai didn't exactly want to deal with Jess, so she walked back into the living room and dialed Rory's cell phone number.

In the next room, Rory and Jess awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing loudly. "Ah jeez," Jess said at the shrilling sound.

"Sorry." Rory got off of Jess and her bed and grabbed her phone off of her nightstand. "Hello?" She questioned into the phone.

"Rory, honey, it's me. Yeah, I saw you and your boyfriend so comfortably laying on your bed, so I didn't want to wake him or you by hand."

"Mom! What's up anyways?"

"I was calling to tell you that you should get packing so that you guys can get back to the city before it's too late." Rory looked at the clock and nodded.

"OK, Mom. Thanks, I'll see you in a bit. You know, you could come in and talk to me. You're like five feet away," Rory told her mother over the phone.

"No no. It's fine. Just come out when you guys are done packing so that we can say goodbye. Luke's gone, so you guys should stop over there too," Lorelai told her. "OK, well I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you in a bit." They both hung up their phones and Rory turned around to see Jess back to sleep.

"Jess," She whispered in his ear when she reached her bed. He didn't move, or respond in any way. "Jess, we need to get going. I need to pack and then we need to stop at Luke's to say bye and you can get your suitcase," she said in a normal tone, starting to pack.

"I don't want to get up. It's too damn early," he whined into her pillow.

"I don't want to leave, but I have to. Just like you have to get up, so get up." She threw a pair of balled up socks at his head and he finally got up.

"Fine, I'm up, but I am far from happy. How much longer 'til we leave?" Jess asked, sitting up on Rory's bed.

"I'm just about finished, thanks to your help last night. Thank you again. Then we just need to go to Luke's and we're done in Stars Hollow for a while. Aren't you happy that you get to go home. Not much longer until we're on the open road," Rory teased as she finished up packing the last of her stuff.

"As happy as I can be. I think that I'm too tired to actually be happy. What time is it anyways?" Jess laid his head on Rory's wall while she came to sit next to him.

"A little after seven in the morning." Rory hugged him tight and he kissed the top of her head.

"Early," he replied, groggily. Rory nodded her head and then got up, her hand extended.

"I concur. Lets go say bye to my mom." Rory walked out of her room, Jess following, carrying her bags. "Mom?" Rory called out when she got to the kitchen.

"Living room," Lorelai yelled from the couch.

"We're leaving now," Rory told her mother as she walked into the living room and Lorelai got off of the couch. They hugged, Jess watching from his position leaning against the wall. "I love you, Mom. I'll see you as soon as possible." Rory kissed her mom's cheek and walked outside.

Jess was about to follow but was stopped by Lorelai's hand in his face. "OK, Jess, Rory seems happy, so I won't get in the way. I swear to everything I believe in that if you hurt her again, you will feel the wrath of Lorelai Gilmore. That is not something that you ever want to deal with. Especially not a pregnant Lorelai Gilmore," Lorelai warned him.

He wasn't sure what to say, so he smirked, not rudely, and nodded. Lorelai accepted this and patted him on the shoulder. "Good," Lorelai said before getting out of Jess' path.

"Bye Lorelai." Jess walked to the car where Rory was now sitting, confused.

"What was that about," Rory asked when Jess slid into the passenger seat.

"Oh, you know, if I hurt you I have to deal with the wrath of a pregnant Lorelai Gilmore. Something, apparently, that I would never want to deal with," Jess explained.

"I wouldn't think so. Hopefully, you have nothing to worry about though," Rory said kissing his cheek, his eyes closed. Keeping his eyes solemnly closed, he smiled and when she pulled away he pulled her back and kissed her hard on the lips. "To Luke's," she exclaimed when she sat normally in her seat, wiping her lips.

"To Luke's," he agreed, still smiling, eyes still closed.


	25. Chapter 25

"No! I am totally winning. I definitely saw Nebraska first," Rory yelled to Jess, playing license plate bingo.

"Liar," Jess told her. "I said Nebraska at least five seconds before you did."

"I think this game is getting too competitive for people like us. We're both pretty stubborn," Rory pointed out.

"I guess. I think you're just backing down because you know that I said Nebraska before you did," Rory gave him a look. "I'll let it slide, and won't bring it up again." Jess stretched his arms from his seat in Rory's car. "So, I was thinking about your job. You know, when you move back to Stars Hollow. I think that you should work at a newspaper there. Not Stars Hollow, but I don't know, maybe in Hartford or Woodbridge. That way, it would be a lot closer than New York, easier to get there."

"Yeah, maybe. I was thinking about that too. If I do that, I'm leaning more towards Hartford than anything else. I agree that it'd be easier. Now I'm confused. I thought that you didn't even want to move back with me, and now you're convincing me to stay away from New York when I do move."

"I was thinking about your benefit. I'm fine about leaving New York. When you brought it up, I didn't want to think about it, but I knew that I'd lose something more important than a crappy job and an apartment. I guess it's the right thing to do. In New York, I still act like I'm twenty, and I'm not. I need to start thinking about my life. I mean, I'm twenty-five. I need to think about the future, despite how much I hate that word. 'The Future', it's holds too much meaning and risk."

"I think that we all need to think about the future now. Me, you, my mom and Luke, Dave, Sarah, Paris, Lane and Zach. Our lives are all changing and we have no way to stop it. We all have a future, and none of us know what will come of it."

"Yeah, I guess." They sat in silence for a little while. Absorbing the possibilities of their futures, and their friends futures, it was a lot to handle in a cramped car. Jess watched the cars buzz by them and smiled, he had no idea why he was smiling, but he couldn't help it. He stopped smiling when he saw a sign for New York, it turned into a smirk, and now Rory noticed it, looking at him quizzically. "We're almost there," he explained, simply.

"Yeah, we are," she agreed. He took his eyes off of the road and put his hand on her thigh. She smiled shyly. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Jess?"

"Yeah?" he asked when he sat comfortably in his seat again.

"I don't want to start anything, but I need to know something..." Rory said.

"OK, what's up?" Jess asked, a little confused, and nervous.

"I need to know that you definitely won't leave again. It scares me that I never know what you're thinking." Rory didn't want ruin the fun they were having, but also didn't want to lose Jess again.

"I don't plan on leaving again. I've told you that and I've told you that I didn't want to leave because of you. Like I said, I need you to count on me and to trust me. I'm not going anywhere, ever. This is what I want. Completely." Jess looked at Rory for a response, she nodded and smiled in his direction and put her hand over his. "Hey, so I have an idea."

"What's this idea you have?" Rory asked him.

"Tomorrow night, I say we go on an old fashioned date. I'll pick you up, bring you to a restaurant for dinner, maybe hit up the movies. What do you think? I mean, I won't be able to see you today once I'm at home or tomorrow during the day," Jess suggested,

"That sounds like fun. Tonight Paris, Sarah, and I are having a girl's night. I'm telling Sarah that I'm moving back home, so I wanted to do it under good circumstances. So, I think an old fashioned date with you tomorrow is a good way to start my week." Rory smiled at Jess and he smiled back. They read each other so well and they know each other better than anyone else, the only thing is Jess' fear of speaking out. He's not monosyllabic anymore, but that doesn't mean he says what's on his mind a lot.

As they pulled onto Jess' street, Jess started to pick up his stuff around Rory's car. They got out of her car and moved to the trunk that Rory had popped. "OK, here we are. New York New York," she said, obviously disappointed to be back and not in Stars Hollow.

"Yep. Don't worry, you'll make it for six more months." Jess kissed my forehead and grabbed his suitcase. They walked up to his apartment n a comfortable silence, his free hand on the small of her back. When they walked into the apartment it seemed empty. "Dave?" Jess called out, putting his bag on the floor.

"Guess he's not here," Rory said, putting her arms around his neck. He returned the gesture by putting his arms around her waist and pulling her into an intense kiss. "I have to go to work," Rory said, full of regret, when she pulled herself away from him. "I don't want to, but I have to."

"I know. Believe me, I don't want you too either. I have to go to work too." With that Rory gave him a quick peck on the lips and he kissed her forehead and she left, with a small wave.

Rory drove home so that she could get ready for work. When she walked into her apartment, she saw Dave and Sarah on the couch. Sarah jumped up when she saw Rory and smothered her into a hug. "We have so much to talk about tonight," Sarah whispered into her ear be fore pulling out of the embrace.

"Hi Dave," Rory said when she was free from Sarah's grasp.

"Hey Rory. Where is Jess? We have to work today," Dave said, standing up and grabbing his coat.

"I just dropped him off at your apartment. He said that he was going," Rory explained.

"Good," Dave said. He walked over to Sarah and kissed her passionately on the lips, she smiled. "Bye Sarah. Rory." Dave left the apartment, leaving Sarah and Rory alone in the living room.

"So, you and Jess," Sarah said, looking at Rory.

"Tonight," she promised as she smiled and left the apartment.


	26. Chapter 26

When Rory and Paris walked into their apartment, Sarah was sitting on the couch, crying towards the TV. "Sarah. What's wrong?" Rory asked, sitting next to her and pulling her into a hug. Paris, surprisingly, sat on the other side of Sarah and rubbed her back.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. It's just, _One Tree Hill_ can be really sad." Rory laughed when she looked at the TV and saw that Sarah's _One Tree Hill_ DVD was paused.

"Oh, well at least it's not something earth shattering," Paris said disgustedly, getting up and pouring three cups of coffee and bringing them to the couch.

"Thanks," Sarah said and Rory took a sip of her coffee from her favorite mug. "So, You and Jess," Sarah said, her tears gone and her gaze fixed on Rory.

"Again," Paris chimed in from her spot on the couch.

"Yeah, me and Jess, _again_," Rory said, using her withering stare towards Paris. "It's good. It's amazing. It all started the night before we left for Stars Hollow when-" she was cut off by Sarah.

"So last weekend when me and Dave got to their apartment and you were there. That's when it started?" Sarah asked.

"Pretty much. When you guys came in, I had no shirt on and I was about to take off Jess' pants. It got pretty intense, I'm not going to lie."

"Wow, good thing we didn't notice. You get dressed fast," Sarah pointed out and Paris laughed.

"Unfortunately Jess doesn't get dressed quite as quickly," she said and Sarah looked at her questionably.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Well, when we were in Stars Hollow, I accidentally walked in on them obviously after something had just happened and Jess had no shirt on," Paris explained.

"Yeah, he takes his time," Rory told her. "So, how are things with Dave? When is he going to California?" Rory asked, directed to Sarah.

"Oh, Wednesday. He asked me to go with him, but I'm not sure. We haven't been together very long and with travel, I'm not sure if I'm ready for that seriousness," Sarah explained.

"I remember when I was a freshman at Yale and I was dating Rory's professor, Asher Fleming, and he asked me to got to Oxford with him. I was scared of that same kind of seriousness, but I went and unfortunately he died while we were there, but I think it was worth it," Paris said and Sarah's face was priceless, never knowing about Paris and Professor Fleming.

"What! You never told me about you and this old guy. Holy shit, how old was he?" Sarah questioned.

"Sixty," Paris told her and her face dropped. Rory watched and chuckled to herself. "Wow, two years I've lived with you and I've never told you about the great love of my life. I'm surprised at myself."

"Me too," Sarah said, not really knowing what to say. "I just don't know if I'll go."

"It's something that is probably going to take a lot of thinking, but it's already Sunday so you don't have much time to think about it," Rory pointed out. The three of them took a sip of their coffees at the same time without even noticing. "Sarah, I need to tell you something," Rory blurted out.

"What?" Sarah asked nervously, seeing the serious look in Rory's eyes.

"My mom is pregnant and now that I have this new person coming into my life I want to know her or him the best that I can. I have been thinking about it a lot, and I'm moving back to Stars Hollow, into Jess' mom's old house. He's moving to Hartford or New Haven when I leave so that we can stay together," Rory explained watching Sarah's expression go from nervous to sad.

"Wow, that sucks. I'm going to miss you. When are you guys leaving?" Sarah asked, obviously at a loss for words.

"Well, I was thinking about six months, but that was before I had a place to move into. Now that I have Jess' mom's place I want to go sooner, like in a month, so that I can be there for my mom during the pregnancy. It's soon I know, and Jess still needs to find a place to live, but I want to go. I also need to quit my job and find a new one, closer to home, so who knows how long it will actually take."

Sarah and Paris sat there astonished. Paris knew she was leaving, but not so soon. The three sat back on the couch quietly and Sarah unpaused One Tree Hill and they watched it until it ended and sat in silence again. "This really sucks," Paris said, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry, guys. Stars Hollow is my home. You can visit me whenever and I'll come back to see you guys. It won't be as bad as it seems," Rory responded looking at her feet. She felt bad for leaving such a negative affect so early on in the night. "So, what do you guys feel like doing?"

"We should go out and party," Sarah said. "We need to unwind after this bomb has dropped."

"I definitely need a drink," Paris admitted.

"I second that," Rory said getting off of the couch and walking to the door, not wasting any time. "Where?"

"Cappy's," Sarah responded as her and Paris followed Rory to the door and left. They all walked onto the sidewalk, in an awkward silence. They walked until they reached the club, where they waited in a short line, still not knowing what to say. As soon as they were in Cappy's they were at the bar, getting drinks. Rory really didn't want to 'party' as Sarah had said, but she did need a drink. She walked away from the bar and noticed Paris and Sarah already sitting at a table, so she sat down to join them. "I can't believe that you're leaving," Sarah said, the first thing spoken to one another since they left the apartment twenty minutes ago.

"I know, it's kind of soon, we have time though. I told Paris before that I will not cut you out of my life. We'll talk on the phone all of the time. It will be like I'm not gone, except that I will be. Please, I don't want to ruin our girl's night. I basically already did, but I want to still have some fun tonight," Rory pleaded with Paris and Sarah.

"Fine, but don't expect us to be the same tomorrow," Paris told her taking a large sip of her drink.

"OK," Rory told them. "I'll go get us another round." She left the table and walked over to the bar. When she ordered her drinks, she noticed Dave sitting at a table, not too far from her own, and walked over to hers to tell Sarah. "Hey Sarah, Dave is here," Rory told her, while sitting down.

"Oh crap. Tonight was supposed to be a girl's night," she said into her drink.

"Well, I don't think that he's seen us, so he might not for the rest of the night. We could always go someplace else," Rory suggested.

"Looks like Dave isn't the only one here," Paris pointed Jess out to the rest of the table.

"Dammit. Now I think we should go for sure. It's not supposed to be about them tonight," Rory said, watching her boyfriend from afar.

"Yeah, I thinks so too. And I'm not just saying that because I don't have a boyfriend, but I think it would be wise," Paris said.

"Yeah, let's go home," Sarah suggested to her roommates.

"Lets," Paris said and Rory nodded in agreement. "We can get some coffee on the way."

"Oh yeah, definitely," Rory agreed. They all got out of the booth they were sitting in and headed for the door. Of course, on the way out, both Jess and Dave spotted and stopped them. "Hey," Rory said to them before she gave Jess a quick kiss.

"Woah. Somebody's been drinking," Jess said when he pulled away from Rory.

"Yeah, a couple. We're walking and we're stopping to get coffee, so it's OK," she assured her boyfriend.

"Why are you guys leaving so early?" Dave asked, his arm protectively wrapped around Sarah's waist.

"Well, Bud, we're having a girl's night and you are not girl's. We'll just go home and have our fun. Don't worry we don't have alcohol in our apartment," Paris said to both Dave and Jess.

"OK Paris," Jess said with a sarcastic tone. "We'll let you guys go then. Bye," he said more to Rory than anyone else. He kissed her on the lips tenderly and then kissed her forehead before they left the bar. Dave gave Sarah a kiss on the lips and then let go of her waist and hugged her.

"Bye Dave. I'll see you tomorrow for our date Jess," Rory said before leaving with Paris and Sarah.

"So, you're not going to tell him yet are you?" Paris asked Rory when they got outside.

"Tell him what?" Rory asked stupidly.

"About leaving sooner than what you guys had planned. I mean, if you were going to, you could have done it then," Paris pointed out and Sarah nodded with agreement.

"I wasn't going to tell him then. We weren't even having an actual conversation. I'll probably tell him tomorrow night on our date," Rory explained to them. "Maybe not though. I'm scared of telling him. I'm going to, but I don't know how or when."

"You could always do it in bed," Paris suggested and both Rory and Sarah looked at her amazed. "Well, he wouldn't get that mad if he were getting some in the process."

"Yeah, I think I'll veto that one. Oh, coffee," Rory said as they walked into the Coffee Bean.

"Yes, hence the name of the store _Coffee _Bean," Paris said with a mocking tone. Sarah giggled a little to herself and Rory nodded, defeated.

"Three medium coffees, please," Sarah ordered when they got to the counter. It was late, so there weren't many people in there. They got their coffees and Rory gave the the server the appropriate amount of money and they left. "This does not go well with the taste of beer still hanging around in your mouth," Sarah told them, matter-of-factly.

"Hm, I whole-heartedly concur," Rory said and Paris took another sip before nodding in agreement. When they reached their apartment, they sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. To their pleasure, _Dirty Dancing_ was just beginning, so they decided to watch it.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Ok, it's been a little while, a little longer than it usually takes me to update. This story is getting harder to write, the longer it gets, but I'm going to finish it the best that I can. I hope that more people comment me and tell me everything they think about my story and if you don't think that I should continue, tell me. I might not listen, bbut it's still a good thing to know. THANKS! READ REVIEW _ENJOY_**

* * *

Jess showed up at the girls' apartment at eight o'clock, as promised. Of course, when he got there, Rory wasn't even close to being ready. He sat on the couch, talking to Sarah and being interrogated by Paris for at least fifteen minutes. When she finally did get into the living room, Jess jumped off the couch so fast, Rory got a head rush just watching him. He walked over to her and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear. "Thank God you're done." they both smiled and pulled away. Jess gave Rory a quick kiss before she talked to Paris and Sarah.

"I'll be home later. Don't wait up and I'll have details," she said as her and Jess left the apartment.

"Who says you'll have any details? You don't even know what I have planned for tonight," Jess told her, walking down the stairs, his arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders.

"I know you Jess. I know there will be something to report back to my friends and to my mom. I know you better than anyone, so I know that you won't let this beautiful dress go to waste, now will you?" Rory asked gesturing to her dress. Jess shook his head no and pecked her quick on the cheek as they walked to his car.

"Never," he said when he pulled back. She smiled at him and kissed him on the lips before getting into his car, through the door that he was holding open for her.

"Thank you," she said once he was in the car. "For holding open the door and for not letting my dress go to waste."

"It's no trouble at all," Jess assured her as he pulled out onto the street.

"So what _are _wedoing tonight? I'm dying to know," Rory asked with pleading eyes.

"I'm still contemplating if I should tell you or surprise you. I know that you're not big on surprises, but I'm not sure."

"I _really _don't like surprises. I'm too much of an anxious person to like surprises. I say, you tell me and maybe I'll act surprised, if you really want me to."

"Fine, but I'm only doing it for my own good. God knows what you'll do to me if I don't tell you," Jess said honestly, but with a sarcastic smirk slowly spreading across his face.

"You're too good to me," Rory said smiling, but feeling guilty about the news she still had yet to tell him.

"Maybe, but I'm still making up for lost time and for being a jackass," Jess told her, looking straight at the road, embarrassed. "So, on the agenda tonight," he continued, "I'm thinking that we go Italian for dinner."

"I do love Italian," Rory interrupted.

"I know. After dinner, I thought that we go to the movies. Their showing _Pippi Longstocking _downtown, so I was thinking about that, because I know how much you love that movie." He didn't even have to look at Rory to know that she was smiling.

"Really, Jess, you are way too good to me," she said and kissed his cheek while he drove on. They arrived at a little restaurant, that Jess seemed familiar with, and got seated immediately, thanks to reservations. "So, Jess, I just remembered that when we were in Stars Hollow, we never got to see my grandparents," Rory said in the middle of dinner.

"Oh yes, I know. I never brought it up for a reason," Jess answered in between bites of his food. "Why are you bringing it up though?"

"Well, I was just thinking that I miss them. I haven't talked to them in such a long time. I didn't even contact them when we were in Connecticut. I feel like a horrible granddaughter," Rory said, looking down at her food. She was trying to stall until she told him about wanting to move back home sooner.

"Ror, you are far from a horrible granddaughter. Call them tomorrow if you feel that badly about it. You're not horrible." Jess held her hand tightly and kissed it. She smiled and took a sip of whine.

"Thank you. I will call them sometime tomorrow and then I can tell them about moving back home. They'll be excited. I probably shouldn't tell them about being home last week, they'd be mad."

"Hey, you ready to go?" Jess asked Rory who had finished eating minutes before he had.

"Completely," she told him. He motioned for the waiter to come over, and he did so, leaving the check. Jess looked at it and put down the money before walking over to Rory and pulling her outside with him. They walked out to his car and started driving in silence, content with each other and with the silence. They stopped in front of a movie theater and Rory smiled at the crowd standing outside. "Lets go," she said excitedly. He smiled at her giddiness and met her on the sidewalk.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the line where they waited to purchase their tickets. "I am so thirsty," he told her, momentarily resting his head on her shoulder.

"We should be in there in a little while, only a few more people until us," Rory pointed ahead. After a few more seconds of silence, she shivered from the cold and Jess instinctively wrapped his arm tighter. "Look at you, trying to keep me safe and warm."

"Aw jeez. It was a reflex," Jess said, embarrassed.

"Exactly," Rory said before kissing his lips and lingering a bit before pulling away and leaning into him for a hug. The line moved, but before they got to the ticket window they heard the ticket seller that the movie was sold out. Rory looked at Jess with disappointment.

"That's OK. We can go back to my place and have some of our own fun," Jess said trying to spare her from even more disappointment. She smiled at this and turned them towards his car.

"I'm up for it," she told him. He opened her car door and closed it once she was safely inside. When he got into the car he was practically jumped by Rory who was now kissing him passionately. Apparently she wasn't up for waiting. He hesitated at first but eventually welcomed it completely. He ran his hands through her hair and she rubbed her hands up and down his clothed chest.

"Rory, we can't do this here," he said in between kisses. She ignored his statement and closed the gap between them and kissed him again licking his lips with her tongue, waiting for entry. Again, he hesitated, but didn't want to stop her from being happy, or himself for that matter. Their tongues wrestled for power, but Jess pulled away again and Rory sat back, feeling defeated. Jess looked at her and spoke, "Rory. Come on, you know we can't do that here. We're pulled over on the side of a busy street with people surrounding us."

"Jess, do you actually believe that I would push it that far? It's me, come on," Rory said kicking her shoes to the floor and putting her seatbelt on.

"You may not have pushed it that far, but I probably would have, Rory. I had to stop it there or it wouldn't have stopped at all," Rory smiled at the amount of power she apparently had over him. He noticed the smile. "Dave isn't home, so we can finish this up once we get to my place. Maybe we could full on spend the night together. You fall asleep in my bed at a completely inappropriate hour and then wake up in my bed at some God forsaken hour so you can wake me up for work and then go back to your place before _you_ have to go to work."Rory smiled again and pecked him quickly on the lips before he pulled onto the street. He held one hand on the wheel and one on her leg the entire ride to his apartment.

She reveled in the presence of Jess and laid her head on his passenger side window. He pulled into his normal parking space in front of his building and Rory sprang to awareness once Jess cut his engine. She got out of her seat and was met by a long lingering kiss from Jess who had already been standing outside of her door. She kissed back willingly but pulled away from his lips and walked to his building, leaving him confused. She turned around and gave him a flirtatious smile before going through the door and up the stairs, him following close on her heels. She didn't have a key to his and Dave's apartment, so she waited a few seconds for him to meet her at the door. Rory stepped out of his way so that he could put his key in the lock, but he didn't move yet.

He stared deep into her eyes and she met his gaze, both moving closer to each other without realizing it. That is until Rory's hand was on his chest, drawing small circles on the fabric of his shirt, and his hand was on the small of her back, mimicking her circles. With his free hand, he unlocked and opened his door and he broke their gaze and their contact when he walked into his apartment waiting for Rory to follow suit. She met him outside of his bedroom door and kissed him playfully. "You know, I think that this night is going very slow. Like snail speed," she said, her mouth lingering centimeters in front of his. He nodded, watching her lips as she spoke. She kissed him again, longer and stronger than before.

"Why don't we do something to change that?" He asked playfully, pulling away from her kiss. She agreed by pushing his chest, so that they were now standing in his bedroom, in front of his bed. He pulled her by her hips and turned them around so that now when they laid down on the bed he was on top. He kissed her once before he lead his lips to her neck, placing small butterfly kisses on her jaw line, down her chin and throat. His hands were propping him up on his bed, while hers were unbuttoning his shirt. With his shirt off and her dress being pulled over her head she met his glare with a smile.

Her smile was wiped away by the truth she had been wanting to tell him. He didn't notice because he was moving his head down to her lips again and when they met with hers, she wanted to reject them, but couldn't, and didn't want to, break their contact, ever. His tongue grazed her lips slowly and she welcomed his warm tongue in her mouth. He had his hands in her hair, but she was strikingly offbeat and distant. He pulled away from her mouth and saw something new in her eyes, no longer dancing with desire and love, but fear and sadness. "Rory, what's wrong?" He asked her laying onto his side, not wanting to be pushy.

She saw the worry in his eyes and nodded as though nothing was on her mind, but he knew her. He knew that she was trying to be brave for his advantage and when she went to kiss him again, he stopped her lips with his index finger. "Rory, come on. I know somethings going on."

"I know, but..." she said trailing off. All of a sudden, she felt shy in her bra and panties and found his shirt and pulled it on. "I need to tell you something, and I- I'm scared of telling you."

"You're scared. Rory, come on. Don't be afraid to tell me what's up. Don't pull a me and stop talking when things get hard. Tell me what's going on," Jess told her, pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back and kissed his shoulder before pulling away and laying her head on one of his pillows.

"I've made a decision and I am really happy about it. I'm just not sure how other people will feel about it," she started.

"What other people, Rory?" He asked her, trying to get some insight.

"My mom, Luke, you, Paris, Sarah, Lane, my grandparents," Rory said, looking at Jess, but trying to avoid eye contact. Jess nodded, and gestured for her to continue, joining her at his pillows. "Jess, I'm ready to go home."


	28. Chapter 28

"OK, I guess I'll take you home then," Jess said, a little confused and a little agitated, she was supposed to be spending the night. He got up to grab a shirt, but Rory pulled him back down on the bed to explain. He looked at her, even more confused. "What?"

"I didn't mean my apartment and I didn't mean _now_," Rory started to explain.

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Jess asked, getting frustrated.

"I mean... I want to move back to Stars Hollow," she started to explain again, and before Jess could protest she began again. "Not now, but in a month. Or as soon as I can get a new job. I wasn't going to go so soon, because I didn't have a place to live, but now that your mom is letting me rent from her, I can go. I know that you really don't want this, at least not now, but I do. And yes, I am being completely selfish and I just ruined our amazing date, and I hate that I did that. I was feeling guilty, and it was all that I could do, tell you the truth, I mean," she blurted out, averting her eyes.

"Huh," was all that Jess could think to say at that moment. He opened his mouth to say something a couple of times, but failed, because he wasn't sure how to take it and what to say. He just laid his head down and looked at his ceiling, like it was putting on some kind of a show.

"Jess, say something." Nothing. "Jess, you can't insist on me not 'pulling a you' so you can't pull a you either. Talk to me, say what's on your mind," Rory insisted, watching his gaze move from the ceiling to her for a second and then back at the ceiling, still silent. "Fine," Rory pulled down his covers and got underneath them, before turning off his light. He still didn't move and when Rory leaned over his head to kiss him, he didn't turn away or reject the kiss, he kissed back, but laid still and silent once Rory laid back down and pretended to sleep.

He knew she wasn't sleeping. He knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that he was possibly mad at her, but he wasn't sure what to do. He was mad, not at her, per se, but at the situation. He couldn't make her stay in New York for the planned six months, it wasn't up to him. He didn't want her to leave and he didn't want to leave. He was ready to leave in six months, but one month was not enough time, at all. He didn't want Rory to lose sleep though, that would make him feel guilty, and being guilty on top of angry probably wasn't healthy. "I love you," he said, with very little emotion, but meant it.

Rory smiled to herself before kissing him one last time. "I love you too and I'm sorry." She laid back down and went to sleep. It wasn't an ungodly hour, like they had planned, but she was exhausted. Jess, though, didn't fall asleep. He got out of bed and took off his pants and laid back down, in just his boxers. He still didn't sleep, though. He listened to Rory's steady breathing and thought of what to do. He couldn't leave in a month. It wasn't possible, unless he planned on staying with Rory's at his mom's, but he wouldn't do that. He didn't have time to quit his job in New York, find a new one in Connecticut, and then find a place to live and pack and move. He thought about it for what felt like hours, before eventually falling asleep, his breathing matching Rory's.

When Rory woke up, she was confused at first, feeling out of place, but then noticed the arm draped around her waist and felt a pang of guilt. She remembered last night, telling Jess her plan to leave sooner than they had planned. He hadn't said one word until he told her he loved her, and that made her feel even more guilty. She noticed the time on the alarm clock, she was already late for work, but she decided against going in and to do her work at home, before calling the office. She wiggled her way out of Jess' loose grasp and pulled his shirt tighter around her body.

She pulled her cell phone out of her purse that was thrown carelessly on the floor and called the office. She looked at Jess to make sure that he was asleep. She left his room and made the call. When she walked back into Jess' room, he was no longer laying on his side, he was flat on his back and that made it easier for her to climb back into bed with him. She realized that Jess was in his boxers and no shirt on, so she kissed his chest lightly before falling into a sound sleep.

Jess woke up forty-five minutes later and looked down at Rory, whose head was resting on his chest, but was no longer asleep, and wasn't aware that Jess was up. She was tracing his muscles unintentionally and stopped when she reached the waist band of his boxers. He watched her from what seemed like to be a distance as she lay her hand flat on his stomach and kissed it before looking up at Jess. She was taken aback for a second, but sat up as he did so. "Hi," she said shyly.

"Good morning," he said, looking at his clock, he too was late for work, but that didn't faze him much so he shrugged it off and looked back at Rory. His face showed no emotion, but she could tell that he was still angry.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," she told him, looking deeply into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts, she got nothing.

"You didn't, I just woke up," he explained, trying to sound careless and nonchalant.

"Oh, OK. Well I'm sorry," she said, sorry at that moment could mean a myriad of things in Jess' mind, but he didn't bring that up.

"Yeah," he just said, breaking their gaze. She was still in his shirt that was unbuttoned and could clearly see her under garments. He didn't want to look at her, because he didn't want to forgive her just yet, and that would tempt him.

"Jess," she said pleadingly. "I _am_ sorry. I can stay the six months if you want. If it will make it easier on us, then I'll be happy to do it." She was lying and he knew it.

"No Rory. You wouldn't be happy to do it and you know it," he said, his tone was harsh and she didn't want a fight.

"Jess, come on. I should just stick to what we had planned. It would be fair, and I thought about it a lot this morning. I want to do it if it's right for _us_. I don't want to be selfish," she was being honest about that. She had never been the selfish type.

"You also don't want to be the girl who does anything just to keep her boyfriend happy, so don't be. Go to Stars Hollow whenever you want, do whatever you want. It's _your _life, not mine." Jess was getting increasingly frustrated, but tried to stay as calm as possible.

"No, I don't," she agreed. "But, it wouldn't be just for my boyfriend. It would be for us. I won't be happy if you aren't there with me. We'd be together if I stayed here and I'd be happy. It's only six months and it's only fair because that's what we decided and agreed on when we were there," she told him, watching his face for an expression. "And then we had amazing sex," she said trying to lighten the mood.

He wanted to smile , or even laugh, at the memory, but he didn't know if he could. They were watching each other and when he did nothing after her supposed-to-be-funny comment, she looked defeated and upset. He was still showing no emotion. He shifted in his position, so that now he was laying down rather than sitting up. She stayed still for a second, thinking about what to say or do next, because he obviously wasn't going to say something again and the silence that was surrounding them was not a comfortable one, like they were used to. He had stopped watching her and was now watching his hands wring each other nervously. She too was watching them, contemplating the next step.

She took both of his hands in hers and pulled them away from each other and he stared at her while she did so. She pinned one of them down with her knees off to the side of his body and did the same on the other side of his body so that she straddling him. She stared straight into his eyes. "Rory, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, astounded that she was trying to seduce him at a time like this.

As if she read his mind she answered, "Relax, get your head out of the gutter. I'm not trying to seduce you. I'm just trying to make you look at me and listen to what I have to say."

"Fine, talk. I'll listen and you can say what you have to say," he told her. "But, if you want to make this whole situation less seductive, then it would be considerate if you buttoned up that shirt," he nodded his head toward her abdomen and she blushed before buttoning his shirt that she was wearing.

"Sorry," she said when she was done, looking into his eyes again. "Jess, I want us. I know that I said I wouldn't stay in New York for a guy, even if it is you, but I'm willing to for the next six months because I don't want to lose you again." He was watching her lips as she spoke, because he was afraid of what he'd see in her eyes.

"I know. I don't want to lose you either, but you can't do anything for anybody but yourself in this situation," he told her, now looking at his right hand, which was starting to hurt from the pressure of her body. "Rory," he nodded to it and she lifted her knees long enough for him to free his hands.

"Sorry. Man, I seem to be saying that a lot," she noted out loud.

"Well, then, only say it when you mean it," he advised her, sitting up, so that his face was level with hers. He finally looked back into her eyes, but now her eyes were hard to read.

"I meant it every time that I said it." She leaned into his body and rested her head on her shoulder. He hugged her and pulled her closer to his body. He didn't want to lose her, but he felt that he had to, for at least six months.

"Rory, you're leaving after you find a job. And don't put off finding a job for like five months." He had to tell her what he thought, because it was what she waned and he wanted them both to be happy, but to him, her happiness was more important than his own.

"No, Jess. I'm staying here to be with you, I don't want to lose you," she told him again, and kissed his shoulder.

"You won't lose me, you'll just be without me for a few months, but I'll be yours. Yes, long distance, but you're going. I'll have to deal with it."

"Jess, no! You don't want a long distance relationship, even if it is for a few months. I want us both to be happy and if I stay here, I'll be happy. Maybe not ecstatic, but I'll be happy. I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to do. I love you so much for saying that you'd do that, have a long distance relationship, because I can tell you mean it, but I also know that you don't necessarily want it. Jess, I'll leave when you leave."

"Tell me something."

"What do you want to know?" She pulled away from him and sat next to him, looking at him intently.

"Why did you decide to leave in a month instead of six?" He was curious, because it seemed out of the blue.

She didn't get to answer. "Hey Jess?" They heard from the other room: Dave.

"In here," he called back, giving Rory and apologetic look. Dave walked in and noticed Rory and Jess weren't exactly up for a friendly conversation, judging by the way they were dressed.

"Sorry, man. Sarah and Paris were wondering if you knew where Rory was, obviously you do," Dave said, chuckling a little towards the end of his sentence. Jess just looked at him like he was the stupidest person alive, and Dave noticed it. "Right, sorry. I'll just call Sarah up and tell her that Rory is here. Later." Dave left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Sorry," he said. "So, why did you want to leave earlier?" He asked, starting off where they had left it.

"I wanted to be with my mom during her pregnancy, because when she was pregnant with me, all she had were my grandparents. Obviously, that wasn't much moral support, so I thought that I could be some this time around," she explained, being honest.

"So, then I think that you should go," Jess told her, and she noticed his muscles tightened, because it was hard for him to keep saying.

"I can visit her throughout her pregnancy. She has Luke now, she has Sookie, and the rest of the town. She'll have me when I visit her. And she'll have _us _when _we _move back there. I need you to relax and realize that I want to stay with you and actually be able to see and touch you, instead of just talking to you after work _on the phone_. You're right not to want a long distance relationship, because those aren't real relationships and I want to have everything with you."She blushed when she said this because it was so true yet so much to admit to him.

"Wow," he looked as deeply as he could into her eyes and could tell that she was being honest, but he still felt guilty for keeping her from her mom and Stars Hollow. "I do too," and it was his turn to blush, which Rory noticed and smiled at. He wasn't exactly the type of man to blush.


	29. Chapter 29

"So, are you and Jess alright now?" Lane asked Rory over the phone.

"I think so. God, I hope so. Lane, I can't lose him again. I'll go crazy, I'll go insane, I will turn into some person that I'd never want to be, I'd never stop wallowing... NEVER! I think we're OK though, I hope," Rory rambled on a few days after the discussion in Jess' bedroom. They had gone back to normal, sort of. What is normal? They had never had a normal relationship, they had the perfect example of an abnormal relationship. "So, how's married life? How do you like Hawaii?" She asked Lane, now changing the subject.

"It's amazing, Rory. It's the perfect vacation spot. And being married is phenomenal, I cannot wait until you experience this kind of feeling."

"Yeah, me either," Rory told her. "Lane, I've got to go, I just got to work and I've been a little negligible of the office. I'm afraid that the _New York Times _will fire me before I find a new job, that'd be bad."

"OK, have fun at work and I'll call you when I get home in a couple of days," Lane told her.

"Bye. Oh, one last thing," Rory said before she got into the hectic office she worked in. "How's the sex? Was it worth the wait?" She asked in a small whisper.

"You have no idea. Details some other time. Bye." Rory smiled and hung up her phone before walking to her cubicle. She didn't waste anytime finishing a piece that was almost done anyways.

Paris walked over to Rory's cubicle and sat on her desk while Rory gave her a questioning look. "So, I've thought about this thing with you and Jess," Paris started and Rory shook her head in disbelief, but Paris ignored it. "I think that you should go back to Stars Hollow whenever you want. Don't let men control your mind. You did that with Farmer Boy and the blond dick at Yale, do this for yourself not James Dean."

"Paris, I'm doing this for both _me_ and James Dean- I mean _Jess_. I honestly love him Paris and I don't want to lose him again, and there's a chance that if I leave early I could. I'm doing this for myself as much, if not more, than I am doing it for him. And Farmer Boy's name was Dean, and yes I did way too much for him and not for myself, but he left me because of Jess. And the blond dick at Yale's name was Logan, and I was never myself with him, I left him before he could break my heart again. Jess did hurt me a long time ago, but he's different now and I love him so much, and I know that he loves me. That is why, Paris, I'm staying in New York for five more months, because I love him and because _I _don't want to lose him, OK?"

"Fine, I believe you. Just don't be stupid when it comes to him. I can tell that you love him and I know that if you get too vulnerable you will let yourself get hurt. Well, don't- don't let yourself get hurt and don't let yourself become too vulnerable," Paris told her before standing up and rubbing a small wrinkle out of her pants.

"Thank you Paris," Rory told her and Paris just smiled, a genuine smile, and left for her own cubicle.

When Rory left work that evening, around five-thirty, she found herself walking towards the Coffee Bean. She hadn't had much coffee that day, one in the morning from the Coffee Bean and one in the afternoon of the crappy office coffee. She was surprised to find Sarah sitting at a table alone, so she sat down with her. "Hey Sarah. What you up to?"

"Nothing, I'm bored and I'm leaving for California tonight. I'm a little nervous, to say the least. I'm happy, though, just nervous."

"Mixed emotions can be tricky," Rory told her. "As long as you're happy, it should be OK. Are the things that you're nervous about doubt? Because maybe if you doubt anything, you should second guess it."

"No, it's not doubt at all. Just nerves," Sarah insisted.

"Good. I'm going to go get some coffee and then I can help you finish getting ready if you want."

"That would be amazing. Go get your coffee, I'll be here." Rory got up and ordered a medium coffee. She and Sarah left together and walked up to their apartment so that Sarah could finish packing and sorting out her feelings, Rory along for the help.

"I will be here when you get back, don't worry about it," Rory said as she and Sarah left their apartment two hours later. Rory was driving her to Dave's and Jess' so that Sarah didn't have to walk and Dave didn't have to go out of his way. Not too mention, the opportunity to see Jess.

"I'm not worried. I just don't want to deal with Paris alone when I get back. I think that she'll be mad that I never got to say goodbye before I leave, but I called her and I can't find her. I did leave her a message though, so hopefully that will suffice," Sarah said as they got into Rory's car.

"Like I said, I'll be here just in case. I'll fend her off, distract her with a glue gun or something. You have nothing to worry about. And, honestly, I think that she'll be OK with just a message. Paris isn't one for heartfelt goodbyes anyways. You'll be gone for what? Two weeks?"

"Yep, two whole weeks. I didn't tell my parents that I was going either, so if they call looking for me could you possibly cover for me?"

"Yeah, always. Where are they anyways? Paris, Rome?"

"I have no idea. I try not to get caught up in there escapades. I don't really like traveling, but I think I will this time. No stuffy hotels, no annoying parents, no foreign countries. Just Dave, beach, American food, and a subtle place to stay," Sarah told Rory, excitement growing in her voice.

"That sounds like something my mother would have said when she was sixteen," Rory commented. Sarah came from money, just like Lorelai. And just like Lorelai, she ran away from it all, hence her living on a couch in a two bedroom apartment. She didn't want her parent's money.

"Yeah, well, me and your mom seem to be on the same wavelength with that sort of thing," Sarah noted aloud. Rory only nodded in agreement as she pulled up outside of Dave's and Jess' apartment building.

They got out of Rory's car and climbed the stairs until they reached the all too familiar door that belonged to their boyfriends. Sarah didn't knock, she just walked right in and Rory followed suit. They walked in to see Dave and Jess carelessly sprawled out on the couch as if Dave didn't have to leave for California in ten minutes. "Hey guys," Rory said as they looked away from the television and at them.

"Hey Rory, hey Sarah," Dave said, never moving an inch. Jess nodded his head towards Sarah and smiled at Rory. "What's up?"

"Dave," Sarah started. "We have to leave soon, you know, to catch a flight to California. It's that big state on the other side of the country, three thousand miles away." Dave's face fell. He looked at the watch on his wrist and Jess stared at him like he was an idiot.

"Dude, when is your flight?" Jess asked from his seat on the couch. He looked at Rory in disbelief and she nodded in agreement.

"Man, in like an hour. At least I'm packed. We need to leave, like now," he answered getting up off of the couch and walking into his bedroom. He came back a few minutes later with two suitcases, a backpack, and his guitar case. He was out of breath and trying to find something.

Sarah walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek to try and calm him. It worked, Rory and Jess saw him physically calm down by the small gesture. "Dave, what are you looking for?" Sarah asked gently.

"My keys," he answered. "Oh, there they are." he got his keys off of a nearby table and walked back over to Sarah and kissed her gently on the lips and when he pulled away he whispered a soft 'thank you'. Sarah nodded.

"OK, well we have to go," Sarah said to Rory and Jess.

"Well, I left the doors in my car unlocked so that you can get your stuff, just lock it when you're done and I'll see you in a couple of weeks," she said to Sarah before pulling her into a hug. "I'm going to miss you. Call me when you get there on my cell, just in case I'm not home and then call Paris. Have fun."

"Thanks Rory. Bye Jess," Sarah called and Jess stood up and gave her a small hug and did some weird handshake thing with Dave. Rory gave Dave a small hug and told them again to have fun and they were off.

Jess and Rory met each other in front of the couch and Rory said the first thing either he or she said to each other all day. "Hey," it wasn't much, but it got him to smirk.

"Hey," he replied and planted a kiss on her forehead that she leaned into. "I've missed you."

"Well, aren't we a softy?" Rory asked jokingly and Jess shook his head, which was now rested against Rory's, forehead to forehead. They both smiled at each other. "Oh yes you are. You saw me last night, that's a pretty short amount of time to miss me. Although, I did miss you too. But, that's understandable. I'm a girl, who isn't afraid to show emotion, well most of the time, but you-" her rambling was cut off by his lips on hers in a matter of seconds. She was caught off guard, so it took her a second to respond but when she did, he deepened it immediately. She found her hands tangled in his hair at the base of his neck, and his hands were roaming her back, pulling her closer, if that were even possible at this point.

She smiled against his lips and he felt it, making him smile also. He reluctantly pulled away, they both needed to breathe. "So," he said, their foreheads against one another's again. "Hungry? I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

"Jess, you're babbling. You're babbling about being hungry after one of our most amazing kisses ever. You smiled, you almost never smile, but you did and you did it when we were kissing. That's got to say something about the intensity of that kiss."

"You're babbling now. And what are you talking about _one _of the most amazing kisses ever? That was by far our best kiss ever."

"No, Jess, it wasn't. Not to me anyways. I'd say we have a tie for best kiss. The one after you came to dinner at my grandparents' house, that kiss was perfect and utterly amazing. But, that kiss when we got back together, not that first one, although that was good. But the one after-the one that you started. Those were our best kisses in my mind. But that one a few minutes ago, runs a close second, no doubt," Rory told him, watching his eyes the entire time.

He smiled at the memories and kissed her again, not intense, but loving. "OK, those were all great kisses. Every single kiss has been amazing. I really like the one at Sookie's wedding, but that's probably only for the fact that it screwed Dean over real nice, although it was good," he told her and she smiled at him. "I really am hungry though. I've been waiting for you so that we could eat together, but if you're not-"

"Jess, do you really doubt that I, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, am not hungry. I'm sorry, but are you new?"

"Right, I should have known," he smiled at her before sitting on the couch and pulling her onto his lap. "Want to order pizza or something?"

"Actually, I was hoping that we could order it from my apartment," Rory looked at him pleadingly.

"Rory, my roommate just left for California for two weeks. We have this place all to ourselves. Why, why I ask, would you want to go to your apartment?"

"Paris is _alone_. Paris hates to be _alone_ in the city and I hate leaving her _alone_. If you come with me, we can order some food there and she wouldn't have to sit _alone_ in the apartment, eating all _alone_. Did you get the part about her being alone? I wasn't sure if I got that across to you. You've never really spent the night at my apartment, so I think tonight we should," Rory ranted.

"You are extremely lucky that I love you as much as I do," Jess told her and she smiled brightly. "Because if we were just casually dating and you asked me that kind of thing, I probably would have broken up with you. Not because I'm an insensitive person, but because I'm not that caring of many people. You have the Gilmore eyes that nobody can resist, I will agree to this, but you have to make it up to me."

"Oh, completely. Jess, you're spending the night there, what did you think we were going to do? Sleep? You have some imagination if you thought we were just going to sleep," Rory told him. His face was priceless, just what she was going for. Before he could say anything back, she leaned her entire body into his and kissed him intensely on the lips and one nip on the bottom lip. She got off of him and walked to the door. "You coming?"


	30. Chapter 30

**OK so this is a prety crazy chapter in my opinion. I hope you like it and review! **

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Jess reached Rory's apartment first and waited a few seconds for her. When she approached her door, she had her keys in her hand, but before she opened it she looked at Jess. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too," Jess said, curious as to why she said it so randomly.

"That's good to know. It's always good to know when someone loves you. You know, that's why Dean broke up with me that first time we dated," Rory explained.

"What are you talking about?" Jess was even more curious about why she would bring up Dean like she had.

"Well, the first time that he told me he loved me, I didn't tell him that I loved him back. I never told you this?"

"Never. How long were you guys broken up for?"

"We got back together a couple of months before you came to town," Rory told him. He nodded, becoming uncomfortable with where the conversation might be headed.

"Then what happened with you guys?" He asked her, even though he was uncomfortable, he became interested in the story.

"What do you think happened?" She asked him, amazed that he didn't know. He shrugged and she continued. "You happened. He saw that I had fallen for _you _and then he dumped me at the dance marathon."

"I remember the dance marathon, I just wasn't sure of how things were in between."

"We were OK for a while, but he knew better. He knew that I had feelings for you and he suspected that you had feelings for me and then... Well, you know."

"I do know." He nodded after he said this. They watched each other closely before he leaned into her and kissed her. They pulled apart and smiled at each other. "I am _starving_."

"OK, jeez," she said to him, jokingly. She put her key in the lock, but the door was already unlocked, so she took it out and opened the door. "She's not here," she said.

"Where do you think she is?" Jess asked.

"I have no idea. She's usually home by now, and if not, she'd call or leave a note or something. She'd at least lock the door." Rory was getting a little worried, but not enough that Jess would notice.

"Oh well. She's a big girl. Talk to her tomorrow, see what's up. But I say again... I'm starving. Get me food."

"OK, I will," Rory said before picking up her phone. "Wait, what do you want?"

"I don't care. Just something that will fill the void. What do you want?" Jess asked as he sat down on the couch and pulled Rory down with him.

She looked at him before answering. "Indian, but I know that you won't... so, pizza?" He nodded and kissed her lightly on the lips. She dialed the familiar number to the pizza place and ordered two large pizzas with everything.

"Two large pizzas with everything? I'm not your mother," Jess pointed out. "I don't eat nearly as much as you two."

"Well, then me and Paris will have leftovers and we won't have to cook or buy anything for a couple of days. That is if Paris ever comes home." She leaned into him and he pulled her closer to him.

"Paris will come home. Paris will be OK, and if she's not then we'll figure something out at the time. You don't have to worry yet. Let's just, you and me, have some fun. We know how to have a good time," Jess hinted at her. She nodded into his chest and he kissed the top of her head. "Well, after the food comes and we eat."

"Jess, I get it you're hungry. It will be here in like twenty minutes. Breathe," Rory said looking into his eyes. She smiled at him playfully and was about to speak, but was cut off by his kiss. They sat next to each other, making out for a few moments, and when they pulled apart when they needed air, she spoke. "Why do you always do that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he told her, obviously lying.

"Yes you do. I mean, I'm not complaining. You always cut me off before or during I am saying something."

"Rory, I know you, and I know the silly obsolete things that come out of your mouth after you say something that you mean or that is serious."

"OK, yes, that is for the most part true." She smiled at him. "But... what if I were, I don't know, about to propose to you, Jess? What then? Then I would have forgotten about it and you'd never know that I was about to ask you to marry me."

He smiled at her, before leaning down to whisper in front of her face. "Where you about to propose to me?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, no. But, if I were going to, then you'd never know." He pulled his face away from hers and nodded his head, smirking. "Fine, don't stop cutting me off, you'll never know the end of my thoughts." Just then the buzzer went off, signaling that there was someone down stairs, waiting to come up. She walked over to the intercom. "Hello?"

"Pizza." She buzzed up the pizza guy as Jess watched her wait for a knock. She waited a few moments and opened the door as soon as she heard it. "Two larges with everything?"

"Yes. Thank you, have a nice night," Rory said as she gave him the money. He smiled and nodded before turning to walk away.

"Finally," Jess said, laughing, from where he sat on the couch. Rory brought over the pizzas and set them down on the coffee table. She went to the kitchen and picked up a handful of napkins, before joining Jess on the couch. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I was just kidding... sort of. I really don't mind the kissing because... well, I obviously enjoy kissing you, but aren't you ever a little curious about what I have to say when you cut me off?"

"Sometimes. But when I interrupt you in the middle of the sentence, I only do that when I know what you're about to say, _honestly_. Now I _am_ curious about what you were about to say when we were talking about pizza and food. So... what were you going to say?" Jess asked between bites of pizza.

"No... no way. It's too late now. And besides, it was silly and obsolete. It had no real relevance to the conversation. And I wasn't going to propose, it wasn't important, _honestly,_" she added the 'honestly' mocking him, but meant the rest, and he nodded at her.

"OK," he said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating pizza. Jess was already on his third piece. "Hey Rory?" He asked as he finished it and sat back in his seat.

"Hmm?" She asked, still eating her own third piece of pizza.

"I think that somebody's outside the door. I'll go check," he told her.

"OK, just look through the peephole."

Jess did what he was told and gasped. He looked back at Rory who was just finishing her piece of pizza and was unaware of the gasp. "Rory. Come here."

"What?" She asked getting off of the couch and walked to the door, looking out of the peephole. What she saw more than amazed her, she wanted to throw throw the door open. "Open the door."

"Rory, no. leave them alone. They're not hurting anybody. They're just making out. We do it all of the time, and no one purposely interrupts us, although we have been inadvertently interrupted more than enough times," Jess said, looking out of the peephole one last time before going into the kitchen and pulling out a water. Rory was still watching Paris and her 'friend' making out.

"Jess, I know him."

"You've met him before? You never told me that Paris had a boyfriend."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know," Rory told him, now walking over to her couch.

"Then how do you know him?" Jess asked, joining her at the couch and putting her arm around her.

"It's Tristin," Rory told him, walking out of his grasp and back to the door. Before she could reach it, though, Paris and Tristin came barging in, ripping each other's jackets off. Rory turned around and Jess started laughing, causing the two to stop in their tracks and look at both Rory and Jess.

"Mary!" Tristin shouted and gave her a friendly hug, not returned.

"Hi Tristin. Hi Paris."

"Rory, what are you doing here? I thought that since Dave and Sarah were gone that you'd be staying at Jess' place."

"Clearly," Jess said from the couch. He stood up and walked over to Tristin, his hand held out. "I'm Jess, Mary's boyfriend." Tristin shook his hand with a smile and a nod, but Jess was smacked in the chest by Rory.

"I'm Tristin. We all went to high school together," Tristin explained, putting his arm around Paris and she cringed in embarrassment, but didn't pull away.

"Nice to meet you." Tristin nodded in agreement and looked at Rory and Paris who were staring at each other with an unreadable gaze in their eyes.

"Did you go to Chilton?" Tristin asked, ignoring the girls.

Jess laughed at this. "No. I went to Stars Hollow High," Jess explained.

"Oh, so you knew Rory back then too? That's cool. I've only been to Stars Hollow a couple of times to rehearse for an act from Romeo and Juliet. I played Romeo and Mary here played Juliet."

"Oh, so you guys have a history. Kissing on stage. Nice," Jess said, he was being sarcastic.

Paris finally broke her gaze from Rory and looked at Jess. "No, Romeo here was sent off to military school that night."

"Yeah, we only kissed that one time at Madeline's party," Rory added dumbly. Paris and Jess' mouths gaped and Tristin started laughing quietly and Rory realized what she had just done and before she could say anything, Paris was kissing Jess. She just got out of Tristin's arms and kissed him hard on the lips.

"PARIS!" Rory and Tristin yelled in unison. Jess didn't kiss back, but it took him a few seconds to pull away and when he did, he started laughing.

"Paris what the hell was that?" Tristin asked as Paris stood next to him again.

"What? You can kiss Rory, but I can't kiss Jess?" Paris asked innocently.

"Paris," Rory started. "That was like nine years ago. I had just broken up with Dean and he had just broken up with Summer. It was a moment of weakness. And it's not like I did it _in front _of you. Jeez, Paris, you can't just go and kiss Jess, he's an innocent bystander, I didn't even know him when it happened." Rory was yelling by the end of her rant.

"OK, so I'll go kiss Dean. Does he know about the kiss?" Paris was also yelling. Tristin and Jess were now standing to the side of them, ready to break up a fight if need be.

"No! And I don't care if you go and kiss Dean, I don't talk to Dean. Go, go kiss Dean!"

"Um, no. Don't go kiss Dean," Tristin said from the side. "I hate Dean. I _really _hate Dean."

"Ha, who doesn't?" Jess asked.

"Oh, so you know Dean?"

"Yeah. He and Rory were together when I moved to Stars Hollow. It took them awhile to break up before I won her." Tristin nodded and smiled, grateful that anyone but Dean won anything.

"Jess, I am not a prize. You didn't _win_ me, I chose you," Rory told him. "Now back to you, Paris. Why didn't you tell me that you had a boyfriend? You didn't even have to tell me that it was Tristin. You just decided against telling me. Why? You were the first to know that me and Jess had gotten back together, and you still would have been even if you didn't walk in on us."

"Rory, I didn't tell him that we lived together or even that we were friends. I know that you have a history. I was threatened, OK? I was scared," Paris told her, looking anywhere but at the people in front of her.

"I'm with Jess. I love Jess. Me and Jess are moving to Connecticut in a few months. Why would you be afraid of something between me and Tristin? That's crazy and practically a decade in the past. We've obviously both moved on, thank God. No offense, Tristin."

"Don't worry about it. Paris we can head to my place, if you want."

"No, don't worry about it guys," Jess told them. "Me and Rory can go back to my place. We can just put the pizza in the fridge and we'll be gone." Jess turned around to the coffee table and picked up the pizza boxes.

"Sorry Rory," Paris said.

"Sorry Paris. I shouldn't have yelled at you, it was stupid," Rory told her. Paris nodded and Tristin pushed her to Rory and the two hugged as Jess walked back to the group.

"I'll see you tomorrow and we can talk," Paris said walking out of Rory's hug and into Tristin's tight embrace.

"Definitely. Hey Paris?"

"Yeah?" Paris asked, now leaning her back into Tristin's chest, practically mirroring Rory and Jess.

"Does Sarah know about you guys?" Rory asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"Ha, like I'd ever tell her anything before I tell you. That's good Rory." Rory sighed and pulled Jess by his hand out of the apartment.

"Bye guys," Rory and Jess both said before they closed the door behind them.

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**So...? Tristin... what do you think? I was going to make it Logan, but don't think that I'd know how to write him. Tell me your thoughts!**


	31. Chapter 31

"Wow! Just... Wow," Lorelai said to Rory the next day over the phone. "Paris and Tristan. Wow!"

"I know. I just can't believe that she didn't tell me. I mean, I know now, so thats good, but still. I wish I could have seen my own face when I saw them making out in the hallway. Jess said that it was a sight to see. I was floored, Mom. You have no idea. I mean, Paris and Tristan. Tristan didn't like Paris at all at Chilton and now they're shacking up in my apartment. I mean, me and Jess went there so that she wouldn't have to be alone. Apparently she wasn't alone. This is insane, but I _am_ happy for her," Rory finished her rant and took a deep breath, sitting back in Jess' bed. Jess was in the kitchen getting them both some water.

"I'm happy for her too. Paris needed a boyfriend, and from what you tell me, it sounds like Tristan is treating her well, which is also good," Lorelai said. "Oh, I have news!"

"More news. We're on a roll today," Rory said as Jess walked back into his room with two bottles of water and nothing but his boxers on. "What is it?"

"Me and Luke have doctor's appointment tomorrow and we're going to find out the sex of the baby hopefully."

"Mom, that's great," Rory said honestly. Rory and Lorelai spoke for a few more minutes while Jess played with Rory's hair. "OK Mom. I should get going, I have to go to work. I love you and call me the second you find anything out. I love you," Rory said into the phone.

"I love you too, honey. I'll call you the _second_ I find anything out. Tell everyone that I say hi." They hung up their phones and Rory looked over at Jess who had stopped playing with her hair.

"You're going to work?" He asked as she kissed his nose and took a sip of water.

"No, but I couldn't tell Mom where I really was. I didn't think that you'd want her to know about our crazy night last night."

"Well, I wouldn't. So what was her big news?"

"Oh, her and Luke have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and they might find out the sex. I hope it's a boy."

"You want her to have a boy? _You_? You'd rather have a brother than a sister? That doesn't seem like something you'd want," Jess told her, before pulling her into his body.

"Well, don't you think that there are enough Gilmore _girls?_" Rory asked into Jess' chest.

"It wouldn't be a Gilmore. It'd be a Dane," Jess pointed out into Rory's hair.

"The baby will still have Gilmore blood in them. But I want to have a brother, because I think that Stars Hollow has way too much estrogen over testosterone. Not too mention, I don't know anything about little boys, so a little brother would enlighten me."

"OK, I understand that I guess. When do you plan on going to see your mom and Luke?" Jess asked.

"Well, I have to go either before or after Sarah and Dave get home. I have to be here for her, so that Paris doesn't kill her for leaving with no goodbye. I think that I should probably go before she comes home, two weeks is a long wait. I'll go maybe Friday night and surprise her."

"Friday? Cool," Jess told her. "Want me to go with you? I mean, don't think of it as a normal thing, but since it's a surprise and it involves my cousin/my girlfriend's baby sibling, I could make an exception this one time." Rory smiled and kissed Jess hard on the lips and he responded with full force.

"Jess you are amazing. I totally want you to come. I was thinking of asking you, but I wasn't sure that you'd want to go. I thought that you'd make up a horrible excuse. I love you, I love you, I love you," she said before kissing him more passionately. He reveled in her kiss and found his hands running up and down her nearly bare back and her hands rested on his bare chest.

He regretfully pulled away for breath, but rested his forehead on her cheek and kissed it. She laid down on the bed and he followed suit and laid down next to her. "I love you too."

"I know. Are you sure that you're OK coming?"

"I'm positive. It was my suggestion. Maybe this time we can stay in the same building, maybe even... heaven forbid, the same room," Jess smiled slyly.

"I'm sure that could be arranged," Rory told him. She leaned over his head and gently put her lips against his and smiled, pulling away. "You know, it's after noon, maybe we should get out of bed."

"Out of bed?" Jess asked amused. "You were the one who got us _into_ bed... multiple times."

"Yes, and now I'm the one suggesting that we get out of bed. We now have packing in our very near future. I also think that we should go and see Paris and Tristan, maybe have a real conversation."

"OK, fine," Jess said getting out of bed. "I have to take a shower first. Care to join-" he was cut off by Rory brushing past his body and running into the bathroom, waiting for him to follow. He did follow, with a grin spreading quickly across his face.

Rory and Jess emerged from his bedroom fully dressed forty-five minutes later. Their hair was dry and they were just about ready to go. "Rory, do you know where my belt is?" Jess asked as he looked around the small living room.

Rory smiled when she found it, thrown into the even kitchen. It must have been where it had landed when she took it off of him and threw it the night before. "Here you go," she said, as she brought it over to him. He looked at it and then smirked at her and gave her a short, but sweet, kiss.

"What would I do without you?" He asked as he thread his belt through the belt loops.

"You know? That's something that I don't care to think about," she told him. He smiled at her while she grabbed her purse. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Hopefully Paris and Tristan are done by now. It's already one o'clock. It's also a Thursday. Paris doesn't go into work until three, so who knows what they're doing."

"Well, if they are doing something out in the open, it wouldn't be your fault if you saw it. It is your apartment too." She nodded and he took her hand in his and they left his apartment. They walked onto the street in a comfortable silence, and to her apartment in a comfortable silence, her head was on his shoulder by the time they reached it.

"Are you sure it's safe to go in there?" Rory asked as they walked up the stairs of her apartment building, getting her keys out of her purse.

"I would think so. I hope so, anyways." Rory nodded and put her keys in the lock and turned them. Her and Jess walked into the door to see Paris and Tristan laying down in the couch, watching TV. "Hey."

"Oh, hey Jess," Paris said lifting her head off of Tristan's chest. "Hey Rory."

"Hi," Rory said back, smiling, sitting down on the arm of the couch.

"Mary, Jess. Nice to see you again," Tristan said. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Jess pulled Rory off of the arm of the couch so that he could sit down.

"Um?" Rory asked, annoyed. Jess smiled at her and pulled her onto his lap. "Ah." She laid her cheek against his and they all watched TV quietly until the phone rang. "I'll get that," Rory told them, getting off of Jess' lap and grabbing the phone. "Hello?"

"Rory! Hey, it's Sarah! What's up?"

"Hey Sarah. Nothing really, we're just watching TV. How's California? How's Dave?"

"It's amazing here. Dave is great. And who are 'we'?"

"Oh, me, Jess, Paris, and..." she said trailing off, looking at Paris for an OK. Paris nodded and kissed Tristan on the cheek. "Tristan."

"Tristan? Who the hell is Tristan?" Sarah asked, now confused and completely out of the loop.

"It's an old friend from Chilton that me and Paris knew. Also, Paris' new boyfriend," Rory told her, sitting back onto Jess' lap, catching him off guard and causing him to sigh in slight pain. 'Sorry,' she mouthed.

"Wait. What? Paris and boyfriend? Tristan as in blond kid who was in love with you? Paris has a boyfriend that's in love with you?"

"No Sarah. Tristan does not love me, nor did he ever... that I know of." This caused Tristan and Jess to laugh and Paris to throw them both angry faces and they stopped abruptly.

"And yes, Paris has a boyfriend. I don't know for how long, so don't ask."

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. Is she happy?"

"I think so. She seems it."

"I seem what?" Paris asked from her place on the couch.

"Happy," Rory told her.

"Oh, yeah. I am."

"She is," Rory relayed back to Sarah.

"Good. Well, I should get going. Me and Dave need to get some breakfast. I love you guys and I'll see you soon!" And with that, Rory and Sarah hung up their phones.

"She said that she loves us all and she'll see us soon," Rory told them and threw the phone onto the coffee table.

"Well she better. She didn't even have the decency to say goodbye to me."

"Paris, she left you a message because you didn't answer your phone. She called you for an hour. I told her to leave you a message and I would tell you in person."

"You never told me in person," Paris told her, now sitting up, Tristan was also.

"I was a little bombarded with the current situation at hand," Rory told her, gesturing towards Paris and Tristan.

"OK, guys. Calm down," Tristan said from his place on the couch. "All is well. Paris knows that Sarah meant to say goodbye and Mary does too. We're all on the same page. Well, except for me, because I have no idea who this girl is, but that's off topic."

"How long have you two been together anyways?" Jess asked, somewhat out of the blue, wrapping his arms around Rory's waist when he felt her tense when Tristan called her Mary.

"A few weeks," Paris told them.

"It's been good," Tristan chimed in, pulling Paris into a hug.

"It seems it," Rory gave her opinion. "Tristan?"

"Yeah?"

"What is my name?" Rory asked, wanting to make sure that Tristan wasn't all that dumb.

"Rory," he answered, proudly. "But I prefer Mary."

"OK, I was just making sure that you knew," Rory said to him. Jess loosened his grip around her waist as they sat quietly watching TV again. He swiftly moved from the arm of the couch to the cushion without lifting his butt, he just slid him and Rory down. Rory made sure to tighten his grip again by pulling his arms around her. She turned to smile at him and kissed him on the nose and then tenderly on the lips. "I'm going to go pack," she said to Jess. "Me and Jess are going to see Luke and my mom. They have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and they might find the sex of the baby out. Me and Jess are going to surprise them," she explained to Tristan and Paris.

"Yeah, Paris told me that your mom was married and pregnant. Tell her I say congratulations," Tristan told Rory, now looking at her and Jess instead of the TV. "OK?"

"Will do," Rory said, standing up off of Jess. She looked at him with a question in her eyes and he got up and followed her to her bedroom.

"Packing, right," they heard Paris mumble as they closed the door.


	32. Chapter 32

"OK, I am really tired," Jess said as he laid down on Rory's bed.

"I know. So am I," Rory told him while she grabbed a duffel bag out of her closet. "Jess?"

"Yeah Ror?"

"I quit my job and I'm taking some time off before I find a new one and move," she announced, without looking over at him while she pulled articles of clothing from her closet.

"How will you afford that?" He asked her, watching her move around her room, still avoiding his eyes the best she could.

"I have a bunch of money saved up for whatever and this is the perfect time for time off. I need the no stress, and I'll get one as soon as I'm ready to go. Don't worry, the money issue is not even an issue." She finally looked at him and he shrugged at her. He had no right to pass judgment. She smiled at him and went back to packing.

It took her about a half an hour to pick out outfits and pack them up and when she was finished she glanced at Jess, who appeared to be sleeping. She smiled a small smile before she laid down next to him. He didn't move so she laid her head on his chest and decided against sleeping, she just let his chest move her head up and down with his steady breathing. Jess wasn't even asleep, so he kissed the top of her head and wrapped an arm around her. They didn't talk, they just rested in silence for a while.

They heard a knock on Rory's door, so Rory gave Jess a kiss and got up to open the door. "Hey Paris," Rory said after the door was opened.

"Hi. I just wanted to tell you that Tristan and I are going out. I didn't want you to worry when you came out into the living room and we were gone. But I should be back later, I don't know about Tristan. Do you want to do something with me for dinner? I know that you're leaving tomorrow, so I though it would be good," Paris said, leaning against Rory's door frame.

"Dinner's good for me. Is it a me and you thing, a me, you, Tristan thing, or like a double date thing?" Rory questioned Paris.

"I was thinking a casual double date, and then we could come back here and watch a movie, just the two of us. Would that be OK with you guys?"

Rory turned to look at Jess who had been listening and he nodded. "It sounds great to me. I need to talk to you, so when we're alone tonight, I'll say what I have to say," Rory told Paris.

"OK, so we'll see you later. Bye," Paris said before walking to Tristan. They left the apartment with a wave and Rory closed her bedroom door again.

Rory joined Jess back in bed and kissed his cheek. "So, tonight should be fun. I haven't really been able to catch up with Tristan. Hopefully no one will kiss you."

"Yeah, I hope so too. Tonight will probably have it's highlights," Jess told her. "And Paris only kissed me because you blurted out that you and Tristan had kissed before. You had to have known that Paris would have taken it personally."

"I don't even know why I had said that. It just came out, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry that Paris kissed you, really. That was definitely not my intention, if I even had one," Rory assured him. She laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his stomach and he kissed her forehead.

"What do you need to tell Paris tonight?"

"I need to tell her that I quit my job."

"Why can't you tell her at dinner? Why do you have to do it alone? I already know."

"I don't know how she'll react, so it's better not to do it in a public place," Rory told him. "When should we leave for Stars Hollow tomorrow?"

"When is the appointment over? We should get there after the appointment," Jess suggested. "Unless if you want to be there with her, but we need to know the time of the appointment, so that we know the time we should leave the city."

"She didn't say. Maybe we'll just have to wing it."

"Or we could just call Luke. We can tell him not to tell Lorelai and that way it would still be a surprise, just not to Luke."

"I knew that there was a reason that I loved you," Rory said sitting up. She went to reach for the phone, but Jess pulled her back down. "What are you doing? You're the one that told me that I should call Luke."

"I didn't mean now." Rory smiled at his insinuation and the smile was returned with a kiss. Jess moved his lips from hers down to her neck and left butterfly kisses on the way back to her lips. Rory opened her mouth once she felt Jess rubbing his tongue across her lips and their tongues fought the same battle they usually did. Rory was flipped onto her back, so that Jess was resting above her, never removing his mouth from hers. She reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, this seemed very familiar to her, especially considering the night that they had the night before. Once he realized that she was removing his shirt, he took his face away from hers, slightly out of breath.

"Just so you know, this is not what I wanted you to come in here for," Rory told him as he started undoing her belt.

"I believe you," he replied in between kisses. She nodded against his lips and started undoing his belt. He started taking off her shirt which caused them to separate again. "I didn't come in here for this either. I came in to rest, but this is far more superior."

"Yeah," she said before Jess' tongue was exploring her mouth yet again.

After a few moans and panting for breath, Rory and Jess laid in bed resting their heads against the other's. "Now I am ten times more tired," Rory told him.

"Me too. You have to call Luke though. I'm going to get dressed," Jess said, getting out of bed and pulling on his boxers.

"Me too. I don't want to talk to my step-father while I'm naked," Rory got out of bed and started getting dressed. Jess finished getting dressed and walked out of her bedroom while Rory finished getting dressed and called Luke. Once Rory pulled on her shirt, she got the cordless phone from her dresser.

"Luke's," Luke answered at the diner.

"Hey Luke. It's Rory. I have a quick question that I need to ask you," Rory replied, sitting down on her bed.

"Oh, hey Rory. What's wrong?"

"No, nothings wrong. I was just wondering when Mom's and your doctor appointment is tomorrow."

"Oh, well since we both need to work in the morning, we were able to get one at three in the afternoon. Why?"

"Oh, well, me and Jess were thinking of coming up to surprise Mom. Don't tell her OK?"

"I promise. I got to go, Rory. I'll see you tomorrow and tell Jess that I said hi," Luke asked.

"I will. Bye Luke. Thank you," Rory hung up the phone and placed it back on her dresser and walked into the living room to where Jess, definitely asleep this time, was laying on the couch. She looked through the kitchen as quietly as possible for coffee, but they seem to have been out. Once she found a pen and a pack of post-its, she left Jess a short note telling him that she had gone to the Coffee Bean. She stuck the note gently on his forehead, in typical Gilmore fashion, and left the apartment.

When she walked outside, she silently cursed herself for not thinking of bringing her jacket. She walked as quickly as possible, without looking insane, to the Coffee Bean. When she got inside, she decided to slow down and walk to the counter to order a coffee. She left the Coffee Bean with her receipt, her coffee and a coffee for Jess, hoping that he wouldn't be asleep that much longer, so that it would stay warm for him.

As she walked into the apartment, she accidentally slammed the door and Jess woke up. He furrowed his brow in confusion and felt the post-it on his head before he saw Rory. He nodded and then glanced over at Rory who had an apologetic look on her face and pulled the post-it off of his head. "I'm sorry. But I have coffee," she said, hopeful.

"OK, I can work with coffee," Jess said. He took it from her and along with it came the receipt. He looked at it out of curiosity and noticed a number and a note on it. "I think that someone wants you to call them." She looked at him questionably and took the receipt back.

"Call me if you're interested, Matt," Rory read off of the back of the receipt. "Well, this is a first."

"Glad to hear it," Jess said sarcastically and drank some of his coffee.

"I'm never going to be able to go into the Coffee Bean again if _Matt _is working. I feel bad."

"Call him then."

"Jess. I am not going to call him. Why would I call him?" She sat down next to him on the couch.

"Not to accept the date, Rory, just to tell him that you're not interested. That way, it would be a civil conversation and you'd still be able to go to the Coffee Bean while he's working."

"Maybe." She looked at Jess sitting next to her and sipped her coffee. "Luke asked me to say hi."

"OK. What did he say about the appointment?"

"It's at three tomorrow afternoon. What time do you think we should leave now?"

"Maybe eleven? It's OK if we're a little bit late. Does that sound good?"

"You need to pack, Jess," Rory pointed out.

"I'm aware of that. I'll do it tonight after Tristan and I leave you and Paris alone tonight. Don't worry, it'll get done."

"OK, I trust you." She leaned into him and kissed him before going into the kitchen and pulling out leftover pizza. "Hungry?"

"Yeah. I'll make it if you want," Jess said, walking into the kitchen and turning the oven on so that it would pre-heat.

"You're far too good to me," Rory said walking back to the couch and resting her eyes. He smiled to himself and placed four pieces of pizza, two for each, on the oven rack and closed the oven door. After he set the timer, he sat down next to Rory and turned on the TV. Rory opened her eyes and took the remote from Jess and flipped through the channels. Jess glared at her when she took the remote which caused her to look at him and give him a familiar smirk before turning back to the TV. He shook his head and the buzzer went off, causing him to get off of the couch and take the pizza out of the oven.

"It's ready," Jess called. Rory gave up on the TV and met Jess at the pizza. "So, after we guys drop you girls off here tonight, will I see you before tomorrow?"

Rory looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Are you having withdrawal before you even withdraw from me?" Rory asked, eating her pizza and leaning against the counter.

"No, I was just curious as to where you would be sleeping tonight. Don't get too excited," Jess told her, shaking his head and drinking the rest of his coffee.

"Aw, Jess," she said teasingly pinching his cheek. He smiled at her ridiculousness and kissed her cheek.


	33. Chapter 33

Later that night, when Tristan and Paris came home, Rory was wearing something a little nicer than before and Jess hadn't been able to change. Paris went into her room to get dressed, leaving Rory, Jess, and Tristan in the living room. "So, Mary, I hear that you're moving back home. When did you decide this?" Tristan asked.

Rory looked at Jess and then back at Tristan. "I officially decided to move back home the last time that we were there, a couple of weeks ago. I went back for my best friends wedding and I knew that I couldn't stay here much longer. I want to be there for the baby too," Rory informed him. He nodded and turned his attention to Jess.

"And you're going with her?" He asked.

"Sort of," Jess answered. Tristan gestured his hands, signaling for Jess to elaborate. "I'm not moving to Stars Hollow. I'm moving to Connecticut, but not Stars Hollow."

"OK," Tristan said, confused, but decided to drop it.

"So, Tristan? What are _you_ doing in New York?"

"Oh, well... a job. I work in the insurance business, your grandfather actually helped me out a little a few years ago."

"Really? I never knew that," Rory told him.

"Oh, it wasn't a big deal at all. When was the last time you saw your grandparents?" Jess seemed curious at this too for some reason.

"Um, I think it was five or six months ago. I never got around to it the last time I was there. I'll hopefully see them sometime this weekend," Rory answered sadly. She missed them.

"Oh yeah?" Jess asked.

"Don't worry, Jess. You don't have to go if you don't want to. It won't be a big deal. It will be a short meeting, just to catch up and say 'hi'," she informed him. He nodded and she smiled at him and then turned to look at Tristan. "I'll tell them that you said hi, if you want me to."

"That'd be great, Mary," Tristan told her. Rory laid her back on Jess' chest and Tristan turned on the TV. Rory didn't want to waste too much time talking before they actually went out to dinner, Jess never had that much to say anyways, except with Rory, and Tristan decided that TV was safer than talking about something that Paris might want to hear or be there for.

Tristan decided on something on TV that the three of them all seemed relatively interested in when Paris walked out of her bedroom, looking dressed up more than before. She saw the TV. "Dinner?" She asked, a little annoyed.

"Right," Jess said, as Rory slowly lifted herself from him. Tristan looked from the TV to Paris and quickly shut the TV off and stood up.

"Dinner," he echoed her earlier comment, and kissed her. She gave him a weak smile and turned to Jess and Rory who were holding hands, ready to leave. They smiled at her and she glared at Jess, who inadvertently hid behind Rory.

"We're all ready, Paris," Rory informed her and Paris opened the door. Tristan took her hand and led her down the stairs as Jess and Rory followed, closing the door behind them. They met Paris and Tristan outside on the sidewalk. "Are we walking?"

"It depends on where we want to go. I made a decision, but Tristan thought that it'd be best if we made one together, so that it was fair to all four of us," Paris informed them.

"Aw, Tristan, you're good for her," Rory said and Paris winced at the thought just as Tristan over-exaggeratedly pulled her into his side and smiled. Jess silently laughed at this and Rory smiled. "What were you thinking for food, Paris?"

"I was thinking Italian, Tristan didn't mind the idea either."

"Italian is always good," Jess said and Rory nodded.

"Where though?" Tristan asked.

"Let those two pick," Paris gestured to Rory and Jess who weren't paying attention after Italian had been chosen.

"What?" Rory asked. "You want us to pick?" She looked at Jess and he shrugged.

"What about pizza? Not a regular pizza place that's dirty, but a nicer pizza place that has other things also," Jess suggested. Paris knew just the place so she pulled Tristan into her car. "Looks like we have a place."

"Looks that way," Rory said and kissed him before getting in the backseat of Paris' car with Jess. Paris was a crazy driver, so everybody was thankful that the place she had chosen was close by. During the ride, Rory was practically on top of Jess, not that either of them minded, but it was all thanks to Paris' driving. Tristan sat in the passenger's seat, holding on to the dashboard for dear life and Paris was oblivious to it all. She quickly parallel parked right in front of a small, Italian restaurant, causing everybody to lean forward, but no one dared say a thing.

"We're here," Paris exclaimed getting out of her car and walking around the front to meet Tristan with open arms.

"You need to calm down behind that wheel," he whispered quietly into her ear, before pulling out of a hug. Paris shrugged as Jess and Rory got out of the car and met Paris and Tristan at the door of the restaurant. Tristan smiled at the couple and then at Paris and graciously opened the door for the three of them, before following them inside. Rory noticed this and everything else that he had been doing and came to the conclusion that Tristan Dugrey had definitely changed, and for the better.

* * *

After dinner, Tristan and Jess went to drop Paris and Rory off at their apartment. "I'll take you home, if you want, man," Tristan told Jess once they entered the apartment. "I know that these two want to have a movie night and don't want us here for it, so it's no problem."

"That'd be great, thanks," Jess said as he pulled Rory into her bedroom to say goodbye with more privacy. "We'll be out in a minute," he told Tristan and Paris before closing the door. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"I always have fun when I'm with you...well mostly," Rory teased.

"Thank you, that really helps my self-esteem," he said sarcastically. "I'm glad that you had fun though." His voice was softer now.

"I did have fun. Did you?" She asked, resting her forehead on his.

"I did, but I would have _more_ if you were coming home with me," Jess told her.

"I'll probably be kicked out of my apartment by the end of the night anyways. Either by Paris or the landlord because of all the yelling Paris is destined to do, so basically, you'll probably see me. If I don't come over tonight, I'll call you unless it's too late," Rory reassured Jess.

"Call me whenever. I still have to pack and shit, it won't really matter. If I don't see you tonight, whose car are we taking?" Jess asked, pulling his head away from Rory's and pulling her in for a hug.

"Your's. Mine probably shouldn't be making long trips; I need to get the tires rotated or something, I'll get it done when we get back."

"I'll do it... for free," he smiled at her and she smiled back before kissing him.

"We should get back out there, before he leaves without you," Rory told him, pulling away from his lips. "And thank you for the offer, I'll be more than happy to take you up on that." He kissed her and she took his hand and led him back into the living room where Tristan and Paris were disgustingly making out, yet again. "Yeah, so this is something I'm looking forward to happening a lot in the next five or so months," Rory said to Jess, but loud enough for Paris and Tristan to hear, and abruptly stop the kissing, Paris' face red with embarrassment and Tristan's eye dancing with amusement and something that resembled love.

Jess kissed Rory on the lips, shortly. "Bye. I'll see you later," he pulled her into a hug and then kissed her cheek. "Love you and good luck," he added quietly before pulling away and looking at Tristan.

"Ready, man?" Tristan asked and Jess nodded. Tristan kissed Paris on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow. Bye Mary."

"Goodbye Tristan," Rory waved as Jess opened the door. "Bye Jess."

"Bye ladies." And the men were gone, for what was destined to be a somewhat awkward car ride home, but probably not _too _awkward. They got along pretty well.

"OK, so Paris, you and Tristan seem to be going pretty well," Rory said while sitting down on the couch.

"I guess so. He's not at all the same that he was at Chilton," Paris said as she pulled two beers out of the fridge and sitting down next to Rory.

"I've noticed. Are you happy?"

Paris couldn't even hide her smile. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Yeah... you _suppose_," Rory said mockingly. "I'm happy for you and I even have some news that should make you happy for me." Rory knew that would never happen, but didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Yeah? What?" Paris and Rory opened their beers at the same time and took a sip, Rory took more of a gulp.

"Well... I've obviously been making changes in my life, so I made one more."

"You're not married are you?"

"Paris, no."

"Engaged? Pregnant? Am I on the right track?" Paris asked, sitting back in her seat, contemplating what it could possibly be.

"Not even close to the right track. You're like miles away from the right track," Rory said, preparing to break the news. Paris looked at her with questions in her eyes, but didn't ask, just nodded. "See, I decided, that since I have enough money, that now was a great time to quit my job."

Paris' eyes widened as she got up and took her beer into her room. She closed the door after saying nothing and Rory watched the door, confused and upset. She knew that knocking wouldn't do anything because Paris has those stupid noise reducing headphones and the fact that she was pissed, she would ignore the knocks anyways. Rory wasn't sure what to do, she couldn't leave her in there, meaning she couldn't go to Jess'. She stood up, walked to Paris' door and began knocking anyway. She had already knocked on her door at least ten times when Paris came out of her room. "Why would you do that? How could you just quit your job? I don't care if you have enough money to blow, you're not moving for five months, you can't just quit your job!" Rory walked over to the couch and sat down. Paris, surprisingly, sat down next to her.

"Paris, I can't be stressed out right now. I have to find a new job, pick up my life in the city and move to Stars Hollow, help Jess find an apartment and a job. I need to take the rest of my time to relax. I can survive without the income, I have enough money saved for me to take the next couple of months off. It'll be fine. I just don't want you to be mad at me or upset Paris," Rory pleaded, watching Paris' face for expression. Paris shook her head and walked back into her bedroom.

She walked out a few minutes later with a small overnight bag. "I'm leaving for Tristan's. I'll see you whenever," Paris told Rory, never looking at her, just straight towards the door.

"I'll be home on Monday. Jess has work, so we have to be back Monday morning," Rory told her, but Paris ignored her and left her alone in the apartment.


	34. Chapter 34

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Jess asked Rory. He was dressed in his boxers and nothing else.

"You said that you wanted me to come over, so I did," Rory told him, walking past him and into his dark apartment. He was really tired, so it took him a minute to swagger back inside and next to her.

"I was thinking sometime _before_ three in the morning, but hey, I'm just crazy," Jess said, trying to find his bedroom. "I said to _call_ me whenever."

"Yeah, well, when Paris left for Tristan's, I decided to wait for her. She never came home, so I came here," Rory filled him in, after opening his bedroom door for him and laying down. He followed her and laid down next to her.

"Paris left. So it didn't go well?" He asked, rubbing her leg for comfort.

"I never expected it to go well. She yelled, I tried to explain, she left, I'm here, and this was all after she locked herself in her room for about ten minutes." Jess nodded, not sure of what to say. "I'm really tired."

"Oh thank god," Jess said, getting comfortable in his bed. "I had been sleeping for hours when you woke me up."

"Sorry about that," Rory said truthfully. She went through some of Jess' clothes and picked out some sweats and got changed into them. By the time she turned around, Jess was sleeping on what had become his side of the bed. She wiggled her way into his arms and fell asleep next to him.

"Shit!" Rory heard Jess yell from another room. She looked at the clock and saw that it was now nine o'clock the next morning. She got out of his bed and pulled up his pants that were far too big for her, and staggered through his bedroom door.

"Jess, what's wrong?" She asked when he found him laying on his stomach on his couch with his eyes closed. She sat down on the coffee table and rubbed his bare back.

"Nothing," Jess said, turning onto his back and looking into her eyes. He could tell that she didn't believe him. He sat up and put his forehead to her's. "Nothing's wrong, _really_."

"OK, whatever you say," she said before kissing him softly. "I guess I have no choice but to believe that, after yelling 'shit!' and finding you out here, that you're fine." Jess smirked at her sarcastic comment and kissed her shortly before sitting back in the couch. She gave him a small smile before sitting down next to him. "How'd the packing go?"

"As well as expected. I suck at packing, not everybody can be as organized as you." He pulled her into his side so that her head was on his shoulder, and kissed the top of her head.

"I need to go back to my apartment before we leave. I left my stuff there, sorry," Rory said, looking up into his deep brown eyes.

"No problem. Maybe Paris will be there, you could talk to her," Jess suggested, also looking into her eyes.

"Maybe." Rory walked off of the couch and to Jess' bedroom door. "I'm going to get changed, then I'm going to head home. Pick me up at ten forty-five. Don't worry, the next time you see me, I won't smell like beer and I'll be clean." Jess smiled at her as she walked into his room to get dressed. When she left his room a few minutes later, he was in the kitchen with two coffees.

"I couldn't let you leave without coffee," he told her, and then kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"No, that would be cruel and unusual punishment," she said while taking the cup from him. "I can only have a little, I have to go."

"I know, I just thought it would be a nice gesture." She smiled at him and took a long sip of coffee. "It is entirely your fault that I drink this as much as I do, you know that right?"

"Of course I know that. But you love me for it." She took one more long sip and then kissed him hard but short on the lips. "OK, I've really got to go. I'll see you in a little while. I love you," she yelled as she ran out of his apartment. Rory walked to her car and got in.

When she got to her apartment she looked around the living room and the kitchen for some clues as to if Paris had come home at all. She didn't see anything, but her door was closed. "Paris," she called out as she knocked on her door. She got no answer. She knocked a few more times, but then gave up. She got a towel from her bedroom and took a short shower. When she got out of the shower, she saw that it was 10 minutes until Jess should be over.

She got dressed quick and finished just before she heard a knock on the apartment door. She ran to the door the best that she could while pulling on shoes and opened it to see Tristan. "What are you doing here?" She asked him, letting him step inside.

"Paris asked me to tell you something since she refuses to talk to you," he explained.

"Oh. What did she want you to tell me? Jess is going to be here soon, sorry to rush you," she told him. She gestured toward the couch and he sat down willingly as she sat down next to him.

"She says that she's not so much mad at you as she is mad at the decisions you're making. I have no idea what she's talking about, so I hope that you do," Tristan told her. "She can't talk to you because she's afraid of saying the wrong thing and she feels like she's said all that she can on the subject for now. She'll probably be talking to you by the time you and Jess come home."

"Oh. That's good. That makes me feel better. Can you tell her that and that I'm sorry?"

"Of course." Just then, someone was knocking on the door again. "I'll get it on my way out. Bye Mary," Tristan said getting off of the couch.

"Bye." Tristan opened the door and saw Jess.

"Hey man."

"Hey Tristan. What's up?"

"I'm Paris' messenger for the day."

"Ah, it's all clear now," Jess said, stepping inside the apartment.

"Yeah. I got to go, but I'll probably see you when you get back. Bye Jess, bye Mary."

"Bye," the two said in unison.

"Ready?" Jess asked before he kissed Rory softly on the lips.

"As I'll ever be," she answered as she pulled away. "I just have to grab my bag." She walked into her room and came out with her duffel bag. As soon as she was out Jess grabbed it from her and threw it over his shoulder. "Thank you," she said giving him a passionate kiss.

"Your welcome," he said once the kissing subsided. "We should get going though." She nodded and opened the door for him. He walked past her and she made sure that the door was locked before following him down to the sidewalk. He was about to open his trunk when he felt two arms snake around his waist.

"My knight in shining armor," he heard the familiar voice whisper into his ear.

"I'm anything but," he responded, turning in the arms to come face to face with Rory. He looked into her eyes and kissed her as she moved her hands up to his neck and he in turn put his arms around her waist. She pulled away once she realized that they were on the side of the street in New York City. He looked at her questionably.

"We need to go," she said and he nodded. She kissed him quick and got out of his grasp. Jess opened the trunk and threw her bag inside and then unlocked the car so that he could open her door for her. "Thank you," she said as she climbed into his car before he shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Are you excited for this?" He asked as they drove a couple of hours later.

"Of course I am. I want to know what Mom is having and I want to know how her and Luke will take the news," she responded watching his face as he watched the road. "Are you excited?"

"Oh yeah, I'm jumping for joy," he answered, looking at her for a second and then back at the road, his trademark smirk never leaving his face.

"You should be excited. You get to spend a weekend with me and Luke and Mom. Zach and Lane are home, so we can hang out with them. Be happy Jess. I want you to be happy," she tried to persuade him.

"I spend most everyday with you and I love it. Luke and Lorelai plus the upcoming news, might be too much for me to handle. I don't really know Lane and Zach anymore, not to mention the fact that Lane has always hated me."

"Lane doesn't hate you anymore. She never trusted you when we were younger, but she sort of does now."

"That's convincing Rory." They both smiled and decided to end the conversation with a silent agreement. They had lost touch of the subject anyways. Rory looked at the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was almost two. About an hour and they'd be in good ol' Stars Hollow. Home.

She laid her head on her window and her hand on Jess' thigh. As she watched the scenery constantly change she drew different designs on Jess' thigh through his rough jeans. He barely noticed it until her hand rubbed against his jeans. He looked at her hand that was on him and then at her and noticed that she was falling asleep. He looked back at the road, wanting to spare them the agony of an accident and he knew when she was asleep once her breathing steadied as did her hand.

Jess pulled up in front of the inn and looked over at a still sleeping Rory. "Ror." Nothing. He shook her shoulder lightly. She snuggled deeper into her seat. He leaned down so that his mouth was just above her ear. "Rory, we're here. We're outside of the inn. Get up," he said in a normal tone. She shoved his face from her ear and sat up slowly. "Thank you. That was a very sweet gesture after I just woke you up."

"What time is it?" Rory asked, sitting up and opening her eyes.

"Quarter to three. We got here early."

"Good. But I doubt my mother is here still."

"I didn't think so either, but do you know where her doctor's office is?" Jess asked with a smirk.

"No... but Sookie probably does... And that's why we're at the inn. You are a genius my friend." She kissed him on the cheek and undid her seat belt. "Come in with me?"

"Sure. We can get a room while we're in there."

"Or we could stay at Luke's. Free and familiar." Jess nodded his head and got out of the car. Rory met him outside of her door and linked their arms. They walked into the Dragonfly and Rory smiled at Michel. "Hi Michel," she said to him.

He hid a smile the best that he could. "Your mother is not here. She left at least ten minutes ago."

"I know. We're here to see Sookie actually. Is she in the kitchen?"

"Isn't she always?" Michel asked annoyed and sarcastic. Jess nodded and smirked as Rory walked away to the kitchen, dragging Jess along.

"He's a nice guy," he said looking back towards the lobby. Rory nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"Rory!" Sookie yelled as she came over to give her a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to know where Mom's doctor is. We want to go surprise her," Rory explained.

"Aw. You are too sweet. It's in Hartford, at 364 Lorimar Road. Her appointment is like now so you two should hurry."

"Thank you so much Sookie."

"Oh, it's no problem. Bye Rory. Bye Jess. Maybe I'll see you two later," she said giving them each a hug. Jess a more awkward than comforting one.

"Bye," they said together. They left the kitchen and walked back to Jess' car.

"Do you have any idea how to get to Lorimar Road? Because I don't," Jess stated, starting his car.

"It's somewhere between Chilton and my grandparents' house. I know the way. No need to worry," she reassured him and he drove back onto the street.

"I never worry."

* * *

**AN: I wasn't exactly sure how to end this chapter, so I just stopped here. I hope you enjoyed it, if you did you should definitely review! Who doesn't love to get reviews! I know I do! I will update as soon as possible, school is out soon so I'll have more time to write! **


	35. Chapter 35

Walking into the clean doctor's office waiting room, Rory spotted Lorelai half asleep on Luke's shoulder. Luke noticed both Rory and Jess and they all waved. Rory walked behind the two of them and placed a kiss on the top of Lorelai's head as Jess sat next to Luke. Lorelai felt the kiss on her head and turned around. "RORY!" She jumped up and met her daughter halfway for a hug. "What are you doing here? How'd you know when the appointment was? How did you know _where _my appointment was? Where's Jess?" Lorelai asked hugging her daughter again, obviously not noticing Jess.

"Mom, calm down. I came to surprise you. Well, _we _came to surprise you," Rory started and Lorelai turned to see Jess smiling back at her and she waved. "I called Luke yesterday for the time and we just saw Sookie to find out where. Are you surprised?"

"Oh, Honey, I'm floored. I am so incredibly happy to see you," Lorelai assured her. Rory smiled at this and sat them both down on the just-comfortable-enough seats. "What about work? You can't be taking so much time off."

Rory noticed Jess' face of disbelief and looked back at her mother. "Oh Mom, so many questions. I'm here for you and a little for myself. I want to know if I'm having a brother or a sister."

"Babe, I would have called you. You really didn't have to come all the way up here, although I am so happy that you did," Lorelai said, starting to calm down. "How long are you two staying?"

"Tonight and tomorrow night," Jess said from his seat. "I have to work on Monday."

"Well, that's plenty of time. Are you going to see Lane and Zach? They have amazing tans. I'm very jealous."

"We were planning on it. We need to see them and I'm going to see Grandma and Grandpa this weekend too," Rory filled her in. Lorelai nodded her head with a disgusted look on her face.

"Lorelai Gilmore-Danes," the receptionist called. Lorelai and Luke shot up.

"We'll be out here," Rory said standing up. "Good luck." Rory and Lorelai hugged and Luke and Lorelai walked into the patient's room as Rory sat down next to Jess. "And it all comes down to this."

"And it all comes down to this," Jess repeated, kissing her forehead. "So, you never told your mom about quitting your job," he stated, not asked. "Color me shocked," he said when she nodded.

"I know I should have told her. It's not that big of a deal though. I'm twenty-five years old. I live in New York City and I made this decision on my own. No help from anybody."

"Yes, I know. But, you didn't even tell her as your best friend. She has no idea. Does anyone else know other than me and Paris?"

"I told Lane before I did it. And Tristan might know, he didn't this morning, but he probably does now. So that's you, Paris, Lane, and possibly Tristan. And I'll tell my mom and Luke later."

"What about your grandparents? Are you telling them everything when you see them this weekend?"

"Everything? What everything?"

"About us, about moving back to Stars Hollow, about quitting your job, about everything?"

"Yeah. I'll start with something light, like me moving back, and then about us, and then about quitting my job. But like I said, quitting my job is not that big of a deal."

"It probably will be to the Gilmore's," he reminded her and she nodded against his chest.

"So, Jess quick random question?"

"Shoot, Gilmore," he said into her hair.

"Well, _Mariano_, sitting here in my Mom's doctor's office, it gets me thinking."

"A) About what? And B) This isn't a very quick question," he teased.

She slapped him playfully on the chest and he laughed a little. "I am thinking about the future. Our future to be exact. Assuming that we have a future, I mean. It seems like we do, but there are so many things not talked about that it gets me thinking and... I don't know."

"Rory," Jess started. "We definitely have a future. I am here for you and I always will be. I promise."

"Jess, do you want kids?"

"Ah, the original question finally asked," he said, leaning back in his chair. Rory nodded again and sat up to look him in the eye. They watched each other for a moment as Jess pondered his answer. She was getting anxious and he could tell. "I guess so. I mean, definitely not now, but someday, yeah."

"Someday, yeah. OK. And would you like me to have these kids of yours?" Rory asked, just trying to fully get the answer she wanted.

Jess looked at her disbelievingly and leaned his head towards her's. She could feel his breath on her face as he psyched both of themselves up for the answer. "Yes," he said simply before kissing her strongly on the lips and cupping her face in his hand. She sighed into the kiss, completely satisfied, and rested her hand gently on his chest. They pulled apart from each other when it was completely necessary for oxygen and rested their foreheads against each other's. She leaned into him once more for a soft, but lingering kiss. "Enough questions for today?" He asked, hopeful.

"For today," she agreed, pulling her head from his and resting back in her seat. He looked over at her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I love you," she whispered quietly and he kissed the top of her head.

After many minutes of comfortable silence, Rory saw her mother walk out from the door. She had tears in her eyes, but Rory could tell that they were happy tears. Rory and Jess stood up at the same time, Rory walking over to Lorelai and Jess walking over to Luke. When Rory gave her mother a comforting hug she heard her mother whisper, "It's a boy!" Rory jumped back from her mother with a huge smile on her face.

"Mom! I'm so happy for you!" She said hugging her again. She looked over at Luke and gave him a big hug too. "Aw, Luke's gonna have his own little boy." Luke hugged her back and when she pulled away from Luke, she gave Jess a sweet kiss on the lips. "Just what I wanted!" Jess nodded and gave her another small kiss.

"Congratulations," he said to both Lorelai and Luke who were hugging.

"Thank you!" Lorelai said as she pulled away from Luke.

"Do you know what you're going to name him?" Rory asked.

"Not yet. We _just_ found out, Hun. We need time to think," Lorelai told her, still wearing a goofy smile.

"Well, you have enough time. I guess I could wait." Lorelai nodded at her daughter.

"OK, Sweets. I kind of told my parents that me and Luke would have dinner with them today so that they could hear about the sex of the baby and all that. So we're going to head over there now and you can come if you want. Both of you. I'm sure they'd love to see you... Well Rory anyways." Rory looked at Jess who hadn't really been paying attention.

"Not tonight. Tell them I'll stop by tomorrow, but don't tell them I'm here yet or about Jess. If they know I'm here now, they'll be mad that I'm not with you. If they know about Jess, then I'll lose a good talking point for tomorrow. OK?" Rory asked.

"Of course," Lorelai replied.

"And, Luke?" Jess asked from his spot next to Rory.

"Yeah?"

"Me and Rory are going to stay in the apartment this weekend if that's OK with you. Is it OK, or do you want us to get a room at the inn?"

Luke looked at Lorelai who seemed to not mind if they stayed at the apartment, while Luke was a little skeptical of them staying in the same room together. He thought about it for a second. "You can stay in the diner all you want," he said and Rory beamed.

"Thank you Luke," she said as the four started walking to their cars. He nodded as if to say 'you're welcome.' "We're this way," Rory pointed to the opposite direction that Lorelai and Luke were walking.

"OK, I'll see you after dinner." Rory nodded and hugged Lorelai once more and then walked next to Jess to his car.

Once they were in the car and pulling into traffic Jess looked over at Rory. "You could have gone with them to your grandparents' if you wanted to," he told her, looking back at the road again.

"I'm not ready to see them yet. I will be tomorrow though, and if I'm not, I'll pretend to be. You're going to have to bring me though. Mom, Luke, and Lane are working and my car is in New York. I kind of forgot about that."

"It's OK. I'll just have to make it on time, so that I won't be seen."

"They'll know about you by the end of my visit anyways. They'll expect us for dinner either that night or when we get back here. So, eventually you will have to face them," she warned him.

"_Eventually_, being the key word there. I'm not going to see them before it's completely necessary. Don't worry, I won't have a black eye," he said jokingly and Rory smiled. When Jess pulled up to the diner, both him and Rory immediately spotted Lane working behind the counter.

Rory got out of the car and ran into the diner while Jess got their bags from his trunk. When Rory reached the counter, Lane had already saw her and was smiling from ear to ear. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore! What are you doing here?" Lane asked.

"Jess and I came for baby news and I also really wanted to see you. You never gave me the details of the sex. Now, I don't want in depth details, just some bullets," Rory said as Jess walked into the almost empty diner. It only held Lane, Rory, Jess, and of course Kirk, and Caesar was in the back.

"I'm never walking into a room containing the two of you... and Kirk again. I'll be upstairs," Jess said, more to Rory than anybody. Kirk stood up to follow Jess upstairs. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to hear about Lane and Zach sex either," Kirk replied and Rory laughed as Lane blushed horribly.

"Kirk, you're not coming upstairs with me. If you don't want to stay in the diner, then go home or for a walk around the block or something, because I am not letting you up these stairs with me," Jess warned, stepping in front of his face.

"Fine!" Kirk yelled, running out of the diner. Jess smirked at his success and brought himself and the bags upstairs.

"So, now that I've been completely embarrassed in front of Kirk and your boyfriend, would you like the bullets?" Lane asked, sitting down on a stool.

"Yes _please_," Rory said, sitting next to her. Lane placed a big smile on her face and looked at Rory. Lane started telling Rory of her honeymoon and how amazingly sweet and gentle Zach had been. Rory smiled, 'awed', and laughed at all the right moments. Then the diner started buzzing with customers, and Lane and Caesar were the only ones working.

"I have to get to work and you have to get to Jess. I'll see you later probably. I'm glad you're back," Lane said, giving Rory a short hug before making rounds around the diner. Rory watched for a moment and then ran up to the apartment where Jess was reading.

"Hey. What are you reading?" She asked, laying next to him on the bed.

"_The Great Gatsby_," he replied, closing the book. "But I can finish it later."

"Oh yeah?" She asked suggestively, moving her body closer to his. He nodded before kissing her neck and pushing himself up so that he was propped above her. He found her mouth with his and kissed her. She wrapped an arm around his neck to deepen the kiss. He obliged by propping open her mouth with his tongue. They searched each other's mouth for the millionth time as Rory cupped his face in her hand, feeling it go from smooth to rough (the result of not shaving that day). His hand was rubbing the side of her body up and down, driving her crazy and attempting to pull him closer.

Then, as if just on cue, her cell phone started ringing. They pretended not to hear it, but lost their rhythm and Jess sighed pulling away from her swollen lips. She sat up and pulled the phone out of her pocket. "It's Sarah," she said, contemplating if she should answer it or not.

"Pick it up, see what is _so _important," Jess told her, rubbing her back. She kissed him on the cheek and flipped open her phone.

"Hey Sarah," Rory said into the receiver.

"Rory! Hey. I called the apartment, but no one answered and I was afraid to call Paris."

"Oh, I'm in Stars Hollow with Jess and Paris is either at work or at Tristan's. What's up?" Rory asked, she felt Jess' lips gently push against her neck and she silently sighed.

"Nothing, Dave is asleep and I'm not tired. He's napping and I have nothing to do, so I wanted to see how everyone is."

"We're all good. My mom is having a boy, Paris and Tristan are really happy, Lane and Zach just got back from their honeymoon and are really happy, and me and Jess are very happy. How are you guys?"

"We're amazing and we love California. But you seem distracted, so I take it that you and Jess are in the middle of something. Call me later!" Sarah said, hanging up without getting a response from Rory.

"How are they?" Jess asked against her neck.

"They're amazing, not that you actually care," she answered, turning to face him. She was welcomed by his lips on hers and there prior position was resumed.

Pulling away Jess said, "You're probably right." He leaned down again and kissed her again.


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: OK, so it literally took me two days to get this up here after writing this chapter. The site was being ridiculously stupid and wouldn't let me. I hope you like it!**

"So, I have to go _in_ there?" Rory asked Jess, sitting outside of her grandparents' house the following day.

"Your idea, not mine," Jess reminded her. "You're supposed to be in there, like now, so maybe you should go. I'll be here in an hour and a half, call if you need me earlier or later. Go."

"I'm going to go. I just need to breathe," Rory told him, taking a deep breath and unbuckling her seat belt. They watched each other for a few seconds. Jess leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips as if to promise her that everything would end up OK. "I'm going," she said, giving him one last kiss. He nodded and watched her walk out of the car. Before she closed her door, she leaned in. "I love you."

"I love you too, good luck," he replied. She gave him a weak smile and walked away without turning back, and rang the doorbell. He drove away before the door could be opened and she was alone. She was surprised when the maid answered the door.

"Can I take your coat?" She asked and Rory gave her a small smile and her coat as the maid led her to the sitting room.

"Oh, Rory! It's so nice to see you. We've missed you," Emily said when she saw her granddaughter. She stood up to give her a hug when Richard came in from his study.

"Hello Rory," he said pulling her into his own embrace.

"Hi Grandma. Hi Grandpa. I've missed you guys too. _A_ _lot_," Rory said, pulling out of Richard's hug.

"Well, come on, sit down," Richard instructed and Rory did as she was told and sat across from her grandma. "So, to what do we owe this pleasure?"

"I have some news that I wanted to share with you. Actually, I have a few pieces of news that you might be interested in," Rory stated as she was handed a martini from her grandpa and he sat down.

"Well, we want to hear all about it. Isn't that right Richard?" Emily asked as she too received a martini.

"Of course Dear. What's this news Rory?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you'd heard anything from my mom, but I'm very excited. A few weeks ago, I decided that I was going to move back to Stars Hollow and get a job in a neighboring city."

"That is the best news we've gotten all day. When will you make this move?" Emily asked, a smile creeping on her face, and Richard already in a full blown smile.

"Probably in four or five months. I already have a place to live, Luke's sister is letting me rent from her for a good price. All I need to do is find a job, pack, and I'll be ready to move," Rory informed them, now she was smiling.

"Rory, I'm very happy. I'm also proud, you're being very responsible with this whole arrangement," Richard commented and Rory nodded a thank you.

"Now, Rory. Are you leaving any boyfriends behind?" Emily asked.

"Well, no. I do have a boyfriend. He's an amazing man," Rory started getting nervous.

"So, are you breaking up with him?"

"No, Grandma. He's decided to move with me. Not in with me, but to Connecticut with me," Rory explained.

"That is very noble of him. This must be serious. Who is this man? I'd like to meet him," Richard said from his seat and Emily nodded in agreement.

Rory breathed in deep and looked at her grandparents who seemed excited for the news. "Well, Grandma, you've met him before; and Grandpa, I'm sure you'd really like him," she started and Emily's face filled with confusion. "Well, his name is Jess Mariano, and we dated when we were teenagers, but I can assure you that he is a changed man, Grandma."

"He's that horrible boy that showed up here for dinner with the black eye, isn't he?" She asked and Richard was clearly confused and astounded.

"Yes, he is. That day he did not get into a fight though. It was a misunderstanding, and even so, he's a much better _man_. He's grown up so much and he's willing to move to Connecticut to be with me. That should be enough to prove how much he loves me and cares for me. Grandma, Grandpa, he's the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've known it all along. When I was with Dean and when I was with Logan, it was lingering there in the back of my mind, I was just too naïve at the time. We both made mistakes when we were together, but we were seventeen. We had to live our own lives before we could mesh them together." Rory took another deep breath as Emily was about to say something.

"Well, I'd like to meet the man that has stolen your heart," Richard said, cutting Emily off before she even said anything. "He sounds like a good man."

"He is, and he's really interested in meeting with you also," Rory told him as Emily started looking defeated. "Grandma, he really is a sweet man. He may not have been with you at the time, but he's the best part of my life and he'll be here in an hour to take me back to Stars Hollow."

"Why can't you drive yourself?"

"Well, we both came up to hear about the baby and we see each other practically everyday, we have the same friends, we're in love, so we thought that it made sense to drive together, and my car needs to get the tires rotated."

"Oh, OK. You should get those tires done as soon as you get home so that you don't have to worry about it," Emily suggested and Rory smiled at her worry.

"Jess promised that he'd do it once we got home, it will get done and it will get done well. Jess has always been good at fixing cars," she pointed out. "Grandpa, he also loves to read. Maybe even more than me, you'd like that about him."

"I'm sure I would. Now, why was he so interested in the baby?" Richard asked, naturally curious.

"He's Luke's nephew and dating Lorelai's daughter," Emily answered from her seat.

"He's Luke's nephew? I did not know that. Rory, he's practically your cousin," Richard told her and she had to hide her laugh and Emily showed this realization on her face.

"Yes, he is. He's not blood and I've known him longer than Luke and my mom have been together. I dated him before they even thought about getting together," Rory told them and Richard nodded in understanding and Emily's face showed it too. "The Jess news and the news of me moving isn't all that I have to tell you."

"Oh, well, there sure is a lot to find out today," Emily thought aloud and Richard nodded with an amused smile.

"I agree Grandma. But, this is just a message that I was asked to relay to you. Tristan Dugrey says hello."

"Oh, you and Tristan are friends? When did that happen?" Richard asked, excitement lacing his voice.

"Well, you know that we attended Chilton together with Paris. It turns out that he lives in the city and he and Paris caught up and are now together. They seem very happy," Rory explained.

"Oh that's just wonderful."

"Yes, it is," Emily agreed. Rory nodded.

"I'm not done yet though." Both of the grandparents nodded and Rory took in a deep breath. "I recently quit my job at the _New York Times_. Now, I know it may not have been the smartest move to make, but I can handle it. I'm going to be very busy while I'm still in New York and I have enough money saved to live on. I just thought that I should tell you. I just told Mom last night, and she respects and supports my decision."

"It's your choice, but I agree that it probably isn't the smartest decision that you've made. The money would be helpful and the rest of your stay in New York should mean something," Emily told her and Richard nodded.

"If you do need any financial, or personal help, we'll be happy to help. Isn't that right Emily?" Richard asked. Emily smiled and nodded, happy to help.

"I'm sure that that won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer, both of you," Rory replied, glancing at her watch. Jess would be there in a half an hour.

That half an hour was slow, but not too bad. Emily and Richard both escorted her to the door. When Richard opened it, he noticed Jess sitting in his car. He waved to him and Jess did his best not to hide and waved back. "Thank you for having me over today. I'll call you once I know the exact date that we're moving up here. I love you," Rory said, hugging both of her grandparents.

"Goodbye Rory," Emily said.

"I'll see you, my dear," said Richard. Rory smiled and waved as she got into the car next to Jess.

"How did that go?" Jess asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

"It was good. It helped me get a lot of things off of my back. I feel much better now that I've got to see them and tell them everything that is important."

"And, not to sound needy or anything, but what did they have to say about me?" Jess asked, trying his hardest not to sound pathetic.

"My grandmother was appalled at first and my grandfather was in shock when he heard that you were the same guy who came to dinner with a black eye. Then I talked you up a lot and my grandfather really wants to meet you and my grandmother is unreadable."

"How much did you talk me up exactly?"

"I just had to convince them that we had both grown up a lot and that we had made a lot of mistakes when we were younger, but now we're happy and very in love, so my grandfather accepts and supports us. I have no idea about Grandma though," Rory reassured him and he eased.

"OK, that's acceptable." She put a hand on his thigh and they drove in silence until they reached Luke's. "So, what do you want to do now? It's only four," he said, turning to look at her.

"I don't know. Maybe since Lane isn't working we could hang out with her and Zach. I only spoke to her for ten minutes yesterday and it'd be more fun than sitting around. Not too mention, Luke would probably make you work and we do not want that," Rory told him, trying to persuade him.

"That is true. We could head over to their place now and see, if you want," he suggested.

"That's a good idea," Rory told him and he pulled back onto the street. They pulled up in front of Lane and Zach's apartment and got out. Jess took Rory's hand in his own as they walked up to their door and Rory smiled to herself. When they reached the door Rory knocked with her free hand and they waited at least two minutes. "I don't think that they're here. What are we going to do?" He shrugged and they started walking back to the car. "We could try back a little later. Either that or we'll have to see them before we leave tomorrow."

"Either way. It doesn't really bother me," he told her as he opened the door for her. She shrugged and sat in her seat.

"I'm tired. Maybe we should go back to Luke's and take a nap or something. We didn't get much sleep last night or the two nights before that," she told him and they both smiled at the memories of the past few days and nights.

"That makes sense and it is very true." She nodded and he turned the car on and left for Luke's. When they pulled up they didn't see Luke so they made it through the diner as fast as possible so that Jess wouldn't have to work.

When they reached the apartment, they were slightly out of breath, and getting more tired by the minute. Rory laid down on the bed and Jess soon followed. They kicked off their shoes and took off their jackets and Rory got as close to Jess as possible before falling asleep.

When Rory woke up she looked over at the sleeping figure next to her and smiled. It was almost as if Jess felt her smile, because he woke up immediately. "Hey," he said tiredly.

"You know, despite how many times I have woken up next to you, it gets better every time," Rory told him with a smile. He broke into a smirk.

"Oh yeah?" She nodded and he kissed her nose. "We should probably get going to your mom's and Luke's. Dinner and all."

"We definitely should. I haven't really talked to her that much either, just last night for a little while and at the doctor's." He nodded and got out of the bed, before walking to the bathroom. Rory threw on her shoes and waited for Jess at the table. When he emerged from the bathroom, his hair was done and he was just about ready to leave. He sat next to her at the table with his shoes and put them on.

"Ready?" He asked. She looked at him and nodded.

"Let's go," Rory replied standing up from the table and pulling Jess up with her. "I'm starving."

"I'm hungry too. All I've eaten today was a couple of fries while you were with your grandparents."

"I didn't even eat at my grandparents'. All I ate today was breakfast. That is very unlike me," she stated, walking down to the diner, Jess right behind her the whole time. They walked onto the sidewalk, now Jess' arm around her shoulders.

"Who's going to be here tonight?" Jess asked as they walked down the street.

"I think it'll just be the four of us, but I could be wrong."

"OK. I was just wondering," Jess replied. They walked in silence for a little while. "Hey Rory?" He broke the silence.

"Yes, Jess?" She smiled at the rhyming and looked at him.

"Remember when we woke up and you said that you liked waking up next to me more every time it happened?" He asked and she nodded, becoming confused. "Well, I never told you that I feel the same way."

"Oh, Jess," she said and kissed him on the cheek. She thought for a second and stopped in her mother's yard. He stopped next to her. He looked at her with confusion and then she spoke. "If we both like it so much, then why don't you move in with me when I move back here? I obviously want you too, and I think that the only thing holding you back is the fact that it's Stars Hollow, but Jess, I want this so much."

"I do too Rory, but it's so much to take in at once. Moving from the city to Stars Hollow. I've done that twice already and Stars Hollow is a completely different work than New York. It'd be hard for a third time, but I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask right now. We should go in, we're already late," Rory said, leaning into him again.


	37. Chapter 37

"Yes Paris, my job is ready and waiting for me for when I get there and settled," Rory said, trying to stay as calm as possible. She was standing next to Jess, ready to leave, the moving truck running behind them.

"OK, I was just making sure that you had everything organized and under control. Call me when you get there," Paris responded. Rory nodded with a small smile on her face and gave Paris a hug.

"Bye Rory, I'm going to miss you so much!" Sarah almost yelled as she threw her arms around Rory's neck. Rory hugged her back as she watched Jess give Dave a friendly hug goodbye. She pulled away from Sarah and all three of the girls had tears in their eyes as the three 'men' said their 'manly' goodbyes.

"I'm going to miss you too. Both of you. You have no idea how much," Rory told them as the guys stood next to their girlfriends. "But I'm leaving you in good hands." Everybody smiled at that comment. Rory gave both Dave and Tristan short hugs goodbye before getting a group hug from Sarah and Paris one last time.

"Bye guys," the four-people-who-weren't-leaving-New York called out as Rory and Jess climbed into the truck. They had driven their cars down a few days before and took the bus back.

"I love you guys," Rory called out after she closed her door. "I'll miss you!" And then Rory and Jess were on their way to Stars Hollow. "What an emotional day," Rory said, wiping away her tears.

"It's OK Ror. You'll see them soon, they're two of your best friends, you will always have each other. Please don't worry about it," Jess told her, watching her as close as possible while driving. Rory nodded, smiling.

"At least I'm going home. I'll have Mom, Luke, unborn-no name, Lane, the rest of the town, and of course you, my roomie," Rory was smiling now.

"Roomie? Is that all that I am to you now? A roommate?" Jess asked teasingly. "After months of pleading and whining, I agreed to live in the one place I truly hate and all I am to you is a roommate?"

"No. Of course not. Jess, you are my boyfriend, a best friend, a library, you are everything to me and you know that. Did I ever thank you for agreeing to move in with me?"

"Only every day since I did."

"Good, because I want you to know that it means the world to me. I never want to live alone, I would be so bored and lonely." Jess smiled slightly. Rory turned on the radio and tried to find something good to listen to but ended up turning it off after a few minutes. "We forgot road tunes."

"Road tunes?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. This thing doesn't have a CD player anyways."

"Yes, but it has a tape player and I have an adapter and an iPod, I just didn't remember it for the ride. I left the iPod in one of my boxes and the adapter is in my car which is at the new place."

"Oh, so _we _didn't forget the road tunes, _you_ did," Jess stated and Rory nodded sadly and then turned the radio on again. She left it on the best thing that she could find.

They drove for at least two hours longer, but Rory needed to pee from all of the coffee she had drank that morning, and Jess decided that it would be a nice break from driving, so he pulled into a truck stop. "My first truck stop adventure. This is very exciting," Rory said as she and Jess walked the aisles of the small store.

"Don't you have to pee?" Jess asked. She smiled and practically ran to the bathroom. Jess walked around a little longer and got them both coffees and small bags of chips. When Rory left the bathroom he was paying for it.

"You bought me coffee?"

"It's not like I don't know how you like it. I did make it for you for two years and practically every morning since we've been together," he pointed out as they walked out of the stop and back into the truck.

"This is true," she said, trying the coffee out. Jess tried it too and they both made a face. "This is bad coffee."

"I completely agree," he said, starting the truck. "So, since neither of us can play any type of road games, what should we do for the rest of this trip?"

"Well, we could try to have a conversation."

"Me? A conversation? We both know that I'm not the 'conversation' type of guy."

"We don't have to make it a serious conversation. I already got you to move to Stars Hollow with me. I know that we have a future. I know that you want me to have your kids. You know everything there is to know about me. Although, I do have a simple question."

"OK, shoot," he said, looking over at her briefly.

"OK. Your job is all set, right? You didn't say much about it. All you said was that it was good. I don't know what 'good' means in this situation."

"Well, seeing as I have two jobs set up, I should be fine. I'm going to work at the diner, especially once the baby is born. Then I have a job set up at a record store for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It's all temporary, because I'm going to get a real job," he assured her.

"OK. I think it's great that you're taking care of the diner for Luke once the baby is born. I know that it will only be for a week or so, but it's very helpful and very appreciated. My mom is even impressed," Rory told him.

"Oh, well if your mom is impressed, then I must be doing something right," Jess said sarcastically.

"She's getting used to you. She likes you a lot more now then she ever did when we were younger."

"I've been able to tell. Oh, speaking of people who don't like me, have you talked to your grandparents?"

"Yes, I did. They want all four of us for dinner tomorrow night."

"Wow, they don't waste any time, huh?"

"They figured that we'd unpack a lot today, but obviously they aren't aware of how lazy I really am."

"After all these years, I'm shocked. I've always known just how lazy you are."

"Oh, so you're a sweet talker I see," she said and he flashed her a smile.

"Always have been." She scoffed at his remark and he smiled again. He knew that he wasn't a sweet talker and that he never had been.

The rest of the drive wasn't very long and they had found a relatively good radio station. When they reached Stars Hollow, they drove straight to Jess' mom's place, now theirs. Jess opened the back of the truck and handed Rory the keys. Jess took one look at the stuff in the back of the small truck and decided that he didn't want to do this yet, but knew that he had to. Rory walked out of the house and stood next to him and they looked into the truck together. "Maybe I should call Luke and Mom," Rory said, still staring at the boxes and few pieces of furniture.

"Your mom can't move anything with the due date next week," Jess informed her, contemplating his first move.

"I'm fully aware of that. I would call my mom so that I had somebody to talk to while you and Luke moved all of this," Rory said with a smile.

"Ah, I see. Go, make the call, I'll be here," he instructed her. She smiled at him and ran off to get her cell phone. She walked back to Jess with the phone to her ear.

"Hey Mommy. It's your one and only daughter. I am at the new place with Jess and we need the assistance of your husband with the whole moving thing," Rory said into the receiver.

"Oh, well he will be over as soon as I tell him to leave which will be very soon," Lorelai said over the phone.

"Good, thank you. Your presence is also requested, if you want to come and spend some time with me while the men do what they do best."

"Oh, sounds like fun. We'll be there in ten minutes," Lorelai said before she hung up the phone.

"They'll be here in ten minutes," Rory told him. He nodded and put an arm around her waist. She leaned into him and they walked into the house. "I like it here."

"Of course you do, it's Stars Hollow," Jess told her.

"No, I meant that I like this house. It's cozy and there are already pictures of you in it."

"Yes, pictures that I will be taking down as soon as possible."

"Well, you can take them down all you want, but they will be in this house forever and ever."

"Fine. It's not like I can't go and get embarrassing pictures of you. I'm sure that your mother would be happy to give some up."

"Yeah, that's probably true. So, I'll leave it alone... for now."

"Glad to hear it. Anyways, now that we're here. Are you happy to be home?"

"More than you will ever know. And it makes it so much better to have you here with me. This will be a good living arrangement, I can already tell." Jess leaned into her and kissed her forehead.

"I can to. I just hope that you don't get sick of me and the annoying things that I do."

"Jess, I already know of the annoying things that you do. They never bothered me before, I doubt that they will now. And if they do, I will have to deal with it. I am the one that begged you to move in with me, so I will be the one to willingly put up with all of the crap that you pull. Just like you'll have to deal with all of my annoying habits and all of the crap that I pull. I have a good feeling that this will work out and I cannot wait to wake up next to you tomorrow morning in _our_ bedroom," Rory told him. He pulled her into himself and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm looking forward to that too," he admitted. Rory rested her cheek against his chest and they stood there quietly for a few moments. He pulled away from the hug and Rory missed the feel of it, so she pulled him back. "OK." He kissed the crown of her head. "Lorelai and Luke will be here very soon." She nodded against his chest and pulled away. Jess leaned in and gave her a short, sweet kiss. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her outside. Once they were outside, they saw Lorelai's car turn into the driveway.

"Have fun with Luke. Me and Mom will be inside," Rory told him before she kissed him and went to help Lorelai out of the car. "Hi Mom."

"Hi Sweetheart. I'm so happy that you're here. Now we live like two minutes away from each other. Aren't you excited?" Lorelai asked Rory with a smile.

"Of course I am. I'm so excited to be here with everybody. I'm gonna miss Paris and Sarah though. I'll even miss Tristan and Dave."

"I know, honey. But they're coming up to visit soon aren't they?" Lorelai asked as they walked into the house and into the living room. They sat on the two dining room chairs that were sitting in there.

"Yeah, next weekend. I'm excited for them to see it. Sarah has never been to Stars Hollow and Tristan was only here once for the Romeo and Juliet rehearsals, so I'm excited for them to take in the Stars Hollow experience."

"I'm sure that they'll love it, especially Sarah. She seems like the type of person that would fit in perfectly with the people and environment of Stars Hollow."

"She is, so I'm pretty sure that she'll love it here. Now what about you? You have baby due in less than a week. How does it feel?"

"I am extremely excited, Rory. I'm scared and nervous, but I am so excited. Luke is getting really nervous too. It's cute."

"I'm so happy for you guys. You'll be great parents. I mean you did awesome with me and you did it alone, now you'll have Luke, it will be amazing."

"I know. It will be fun and new and exciting and I get to share it with you, so everything is working out well." Lorelai and Rory were talking when Luke and Jess walked in with a couch.

"Where did you get that?" Rory asked Jess. They hadn't brought one, they were going to buy a new one. "It's so nice."

"Your mom and Luke are giving it to us. They picked a neutral color so that we can use it no matter what," Jess told her as he and Luke set the couch down.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me about this? You know that you didn't have to do this, we were going to buy one."

"Yeah, I know Honey, but I thought it would be a nice housewarming gift."

"It is amazing. Thank you," Rory said, getting up and giving her mother a hug.

"I'm glad you like it," Lorelai said. She stood up too and sat on the couch, Rory joined her. Luke and Jess sat on the chairs for a breather.

"Thank you Luke," Rory said from her seat. "It is really comfortable."

"Yes it is. I sat on it outside," Jess told her. "It works with the room too. Even though it's empty, it fits."

"It definitely does," Lorelai said. "Don't you boys have some more moving to do?" Luke and Jess stood up and walked back outside to the truck and brought in more boxes and furniture.

"I am so tired. Moving is exhausting," Rory said from her seat on the couch.

"Oh yeah, I can see you working up a sweat over there," Lorelai said teasingly.

"I know, this is too much work." Lorelai laughed and yawned. "See, I'm not the only tired one."

"I'm sure that Jess and Luke are getting pretty tired too. They've moved that entire truck into the dining room in under an hour and a half."

"Yeah, I know. Good thing we didn't take a lot of things with us. We brought his bed, because it was bigger than mine, but it's just a frame, mattress, and a box spring. We have our books, music, movies, clothes, and some very small furniture. That's it. His mom left a table and chairs, the refrigerator, and some other things that we can use. You got us a couch. We don't need to buy very much. We're lucky."

"Yeah, you got it good," Lorelai agreed. Just then, Jess stumbled into the living room, carrying a plate of brownies. "Where did you get _those_?"

"Sookie and Jackson are here," he announced, bringing the brownies into the kitchen. Rory got off of the couch and helped her mother up. They walked into the kitchen where Sookie, Jackson, Luke, and Jess were.

"Hey you!" Sookie almost yelled when she saw Rory. "Hi Lorelai. Oh, isn't this so fun?"

"Extremely," Lorelai answered.

"Thank you so much for the brownies, Sookie. They look amazing," Rory told her, giving her a hug. "Hi Jackson."

"Hi Rory. Nice place you two got here," Jackson commented.

"Thank you. How are you two?" Rory asked, leaning on a counter next to Jess.

"We're great. We're so excited to have you back in town. The whole town in buzzing, I'm surprised that more people aren't here. Miss Patty and Babette said that they were going to stop by," Sookie informed them.

"We haven't seen them yet. Maybe they'll stop by later or sometime tomorrow," Rory said as she pushed herself to sit on top of the counter.

"Maybe. Well, we just wanted to stop by for a minute and say welcome back. We left the kids a few hours ago with a babysitter, so we should be getting home," Jackson told them.

"Thank you for coming over and thank you again for the brownies." Rory told them, getting off of the counter.

"Bye Sweetie," Sookie said. Jackson waved and they left out the back door.

"That was nice," Lorelai commented. Rory nodded and yawned. "We should be getting home too. You two have a lot of unpacking to do."

"Bye Mom," Rory said, giving her mother a hug. "Thank you for the couch you guys. We'll see you tomorrow at dinner and probably before that." Lorelai kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Bye Rory. Bye Jess," Luke said as he and Lorelai left through the back door.

"And then there were two," Jess whispered into Rory's ear from behind her. He could feel her shiver from his closeness.

She turned around to face him as he snaked his arms around her waist and rested them on her back. "And then there were two," she whispered back. "We should go get that bed ready," she decided. He nodded, but didn't move. She snaked her own arms around his neck and brought him closer to her. He pulled her hips into his own and kissed her neck gently before kissing her lips passionately. "Jess," she whispered when he pulled his lips away.

"Yes?" He panted, out of breath.

"We need to start unpacking. We have Wednesday Night Dinner with my grandparents' tomorrow and a bunch of crap to unpack. We at least need to put together the bed," she told him, regret lacing her voice. She didn't want to stop what they had been doing.

"You really no how to kill a mood," he said jokingly before kissing her nose and taking the bed frame into their bedroom.


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: OK, so there's not too much left to this story. I'm thinking two more chapters and it'll be done. I already started another one if you want to check it out. It's called _Will it Work? _**

**Well, anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Read and review.**

When Jess opened his eyes the next morning, he was surprised to see her eyes staring into his own. "Good morning," Rory said, sounding like she had been awake for hours.

"Morning," he croaked out, sleep covering his voice. He stretched his arms over his head and rested them on her body. "What time is it?"

She reached for her cell phone that was rested on the floor next to the bed. "It's nine o'clock. I'm starving."

"Well, we don't have any food here, unless you want brownies for breakfast," he told her.

"We could always go to Luke's. My mom will be there and Luke will obviously be there, it will be our first meal in Stars Hollow since we've left New York, and I think that it should be at Luke's."

"Fine. Get up and get showered and get ready. We have to go to Luke's." Rory sat up and kissed Jess.

"Thank you. I'll be quick." She ran into the bathroom and Jess heard the shower running. While she took a shower, he got dressed and put on his shoes. "Jess, I need a towel," she called out from the bathroom.

"OK, wait a minute. I have to find one." Jess looked through a box labeled _bathroom_ and found three towels. He picked one up and brought it to the bathroom. When he knocked on the door, Rory opened it slightly and took the towel from him.

"Thank you," she said as she wrapped the towel around her and left the bathroom. She looked in a box marked _clothes _and started digging through them. "These are not my clothes."

"No, those are _my_ clothes. Your clothes are in the box over there that says _Rory's _clothes."

"That makes sense." She got up and looked through her clothes and came out with a cute t-shirt and jeans. While Jess did his hair in the bathroom, Rory got dressed in the bedroom. Once she was finished getting dressed, she walked into the bathroom and stood behind Jess. "We should get going."

"Fine, I'm done. Let's go." They left the house, not even making sure if the door was locked. After all, it _is _Stars Hollow. They walked to the diner, hand in hand, like it were an everyday thing. And after today, it would be.

When they walked into Luke's, it got quiet and everybody looked up from their meals. "Rory! You're back!" Miss Patty yelled as she got out of her chair and smothered Rory in a hug. "Forever."

"Yeah, Miss Patty, we're back. We're starving, so we thought that we'd come in for a classic Luke's breakfast," Rory told her, getting out of the hug and still holding onto Jess' hand.

"Oh, it's so good to have you back. Go, eat. We'll talk later." Rory smiled and walked away to the counter, pulling Jess along.

Rory sat next to Lorelai and Jess sat next to Rory. Luke was in the kitchen. "Well, you are the talk of the town. I must admit, I was a little jealous at first, but if they aren't talking about me I'm glad they're talking about you," Lorelai said.

"Thank you for being so generous, Mom," Rory said with a smile. Luke walked out of the kitchen and noticed Rory and Jess.

"Jess, get to work," he said immediately. Jess sighed and stood up.

"Luke, they just got back. Let the kid settle in before you throw him into work, it's only fair. He'll be in charge once the baby is born, so let him off now," Lorelai said, and Jess sat down with a smirk.

"Fine. You don't have to work now. But if I hear that you slack off at all once the baby is born and you are in charge, you'll have hell to pay," Luke warned, grabbing two coffee cups and placing them in front of Jess and Rory.

"That works for me," Jess said as Luke poured the coffee. "Thanks Uncle Luke."

"Don't call me that," Luke said before he made rounds with the coffee pot.

"Where's Lane?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"Oh, her and Zach went to Zach's parents' house for the week. She said that she's sorry that she couldn't be here for the big day. They'll be back on Saturday."

"I hope they have fun there. I've only met Zach's parents once, at the wedding, they seem like nice people."

"Yeah, they do." Jess was quietly drinking his coffee from where he was sitting while Rory and Lorelai carried a conversation. He was surprised when the conversation was thrown at him. "So, Jess, thanks for taking over the diner. It'll be extremely helpful. It means a lot to me and to Luke." Rory turned to smile at him.

"Uh, it's no problem," he responded, mid-sip.

"OK, I should call Michel, see how things are at the inn. I'm going to go home, I'll see you tonight though," Lorelai said as she struggled to stand up off of her stool.

"Want me to walk you?" Rory asked, jumping up to help her mother.

"I brought my car, I'll be fine. I will see you tonight. Thank you for the offer, oh lovely daughter of mine," Lorelai said, kissing Rory on the cheek. "Bye Jess." She waved and slowly waddled out of the diner.

"She is _huge_," Jess said once she was out of the diner and in her car.

"That's nice, Jess," Rory said sarcastically. "We need to order and eat so that we can go unpack and call Paris."

"You didn't call Paris?" Jess asked, Rory shook her head no. "She's going to kill you. She's probably been watching the news all night to see if there were any accidents that we may have been in. She told you to call her when we got here."

"Yeah, that's not good. I'm going to go home. Order me some pancakes and eggs and bring them back for me. Don't take too long. I'm starving," she said as she stood up. She leaned down and kissed Jess quick. "Bye."

Rory ran home the best she could. She didn't have her cell phone. She had left it on the bed. When she got home she checked it first to see if anyone had called and of course, Paris had called... five times. Rory dialed her number and the phone was answered immediately. "Rory freaking Gilmore, why didn't you call me when you got there? I know it didn't take you this long to get to Stars Hollow from New York."

"Paris, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to worry you and anyone else. We were so busy with moving and unpacking and guests and I am really sorry. Paris, I didn't mean to not call you. It was a complete accident and I feel horrible and I don't want you to be mad at me. Are you mad at me?" Rory asked, afraid of the possible answers.

"I was scared, Rory. Tristan, Sarah, and Dave were scared too. We thought that you two had died. I made Tristan stay up with me to watch the news, he wasn't very happy. We both had to work today and I never went in, because I was waiting for you to call. Now that I know that you're OK, I have to go. Goodbye Rory."

"Bye Paris. Tell everyone that I'm sorry and that I said hi and that I can't wait to see them next week. You're still coming, right?"

"All four of us will be there," Paris said before hanging up the phone. After Rory hung up the phone, she went into the bedroom to lye down.

Rory looked at all of the boxes laying around her bedroom and she knew that there were even more laying around the rest of the house. She stood up and started to unpack boxes. She kept unpacking boxes and placing furniture and by the time Jess had come home with her food, two boxes were empty and the bedroom was becoming remarkably cleaner.

"Rory?" Jess called out as he walked into the house. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her moving around. He set her food down on the table and walked into their bedroom. "Wow, you did a lot." Rory looked out from her spot in the closet and nodded, with a smile on my face.

"Not too much, but yeah, I did some. Enough to get us started anyways. You brought my food, right?"

"Of course I brought your food. I wouldn't think of leaving Luke's without it. It's in the kitchen, come one," he said. She walked out of the small closet and took him by the hand. They walked out of their bedroom and into the chaotic kitchen, filled with boxes and clothes, it was basically the dumping ground until further notice. They cleared a path to the table and sat down. "So, what did Paris say?" He asked once she started eating.

"Oh, you know. She was mad and you were right, she sat up all night watching the news and made Tristan join her. She was really pissed, but she's still coming up next weekend. I told her that I was sorry and I asked her to tell everyone else that too," she explained. Jess looked at her and nodded. "So, all this food and no coffee?"

"Hey, you never asked me to bring you coffee, I did what I was told to do, bring you food."

"Jess, it's coffee. You know the relationship I have with coffee. It's stronger than any other relationship I have with anything or anybody, including you. Coffee should have to be an unspoken order. Rory, coffee. Coffee, Rory. Like always," she told him, trying to keep a smile off of her face. Looking at Jess she could see his smirk.

"What about Rory, Jess. Jess, Rory. That's a pretty good combo too you know. Wait here. I'll be right back," Jess said before getting up from the table and walking into a different room. Rory was eating a pancake when Jess walked back into the kitchen. "Here," he said, setting a cup of to-go coffee on the table in front of her face.

"LIAR!" She yelled, over dramatically.

"No, I was kidding. I saw how worked up you were getting. I needed to set it down so that I could open the door, but I accidentally left it there. But then you started giving me a hard time, so I thought I'd make you suffer a little."

"Well, that wasn't very funny. But thank you. And by the way, I like the Jess, Rory, Rory, Jess combo too. But never as much as me and coffee, sorry," she said before she drank a big gulp of coffee. "It's good to know that my family owns the best coffee in the world."

"My family too," he pointed out, sitting back down in his chair. "Man, we have a fucked up family."

"Oh, yeah we do. Oh, so dinner tonight, are you excited?" She asked somewhat out of the blue.

"No, not in the least bit. Why do you ask?"

"Well, when I was talking to my mom yesterday, I got some news on dinner. And I thought that I should share it with you, if you want to know that is."

"Well, now I want to know. You can't say all of that and expect me to not want to know what it is," he told her and she nodded. She was psyching herself up for the reaction she was going to get from him.

"OK, well, somebody other than my grandfather wants to meet you. Somebody that should probably meet you before Grandpa does, but will be meeting you tonight at dinner."

"Rory, who are you talking about? Who is coming to dinner tonight that we didn't know about?"

"My dad. The one and only Christopher Hayden, well maybe not the _one _and _only_, but the one and only in my life. Yeah, so my dad is coming to dinner, to meet you, to get to know you. My dad, my father, my mother's ex-boyfriend and father of her first child, me. Jess?"

"Huh. I have to meet your father tonight. I don't know how I feel about that."


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: OK, so one more chapter after this one. I'm not sure if I like the way this one came out. Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

Rory and Jess stepped out of her car to see Lorelai and Luke pull up behind them. "Hey Mom, Luke," Rory said as they stepped out of the car. Lorelai as pregnant as humanly possible.

"Hey Hon. We should be getting inside. It doesn't look like Chris is here yet and we don't want to be out here when he gets here. It's probably best to be inside," Lorelai said as the four of them started walking to the door. They stared at it for a few seconds.

"So, do we ring the doorbell?" Jess asked, trying to make somebody else make the first move.

"Right. That would help with the whole getting-inside-thing. I'll do it," Rory said as she stepped towards the bell. She rang the bell and took one last look at the three people standing around her.

"Hello everybody," Emily greeted when she opened the door. "It's so good to see you all."

"Hi Mom," Lorelai said back, handing the maid her coat.

"Hi Grandma," Rory said, giving the maid her own coat.

"Hello Mrs. Gilmore," Luke said.

"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Gilmore," Jess said. Neither Luke nor Jess had coats, so they kept their hands to themselves.

"It's nice to see you again too, Jess," Emily said, her voice cold. Just then Richard walked into they foyer where everybody was still standing. "Richard, our guests our here."

"Hello everybody," he responded, looking the crowd over. "You must be Jess." Richard extended his hand to Jess.

"Yes sir," Jess told him, shaking his hand. Jess hated shaking peoples' hands."

"Please, call me Richard," he instructed. Jess responded with a nod and an awkward smile. "No Christopher yet?" Jess' stomach dropped when Richard said his name. He was nervous to see Emily again and to meet Richard, but he hated the fact that he had to meet Rory's father.

"Not yet. We didn't see his car outside," Lorelai informed.

"Well, there's no sense in standing around in here," Emily said and walked into the sitting room, everyone following. "What you all like to drink?"

"I'll just have a water, Mom," Lorelai said, struggling to sit down, but Luke coming to her rescue and guiding her successfully.

"I'll have a martini, Grandma," Rory said, looking to Jess.

"Jess? Luke? What would you two like?" Richard asked from the drink cart.

Luke answered first, "I'll have a beer, please."

Jess let out a relieved sigh. "Me too, please," Jess replied. Richard gave everybody what they asked and the doorbell rang. Christopher.

Both Rory and Jess sighed from their seats while the maid answered the door. Christopher walked into the room, Gigi following him. "Hey you two," Rory said standing up to greet them. Everybody but Lorelai stood up also. Rory gave her father and her little sister, which she barely knew, a hug. Emily did as well. Richard and Luke shook his hand. Rory motioned for Jess to stand next to her, and he did. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Jess. Jess, this id my father, Christopher."

"It's nice to meet you," Christopher said, extending his hand.

"You too. I've heard a lot about you," Jess said, shaking his hand and stepping back to stand next to Rory.

"I've heard a lot about you too," Christopher said. "This is my daughter Gigi," Christopher introduced.

Jess looked down at the small, shy seven-year-old. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jess." Gigi looked up at him and then sat next to Lorelai on the couch. Jess looked at Rory. "Well, that wasn't awkward at all," he whispered as everybody sat down in their seats.

"Hey Lor," Christopher said sitting next to Gigi.

"Hello Chris." Richard got Christopher a drink and Gigi a soda while Emily and Rory spoke. Christopher, Luke, Jess, and Richard were talking about something or other while Lorelai was speaking to Gigi. It was civil, nobody was crossing any boundaries, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, with the exception of Gigi.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Lorelai gasped, loud enough to cause everyone to stop talking. Rory and Luke glared at each other before looking at Lorelai who was now grasping the side of the couch, her face showing pain. Jess looked on in curiosity and then realized what was happening. "Shit," he said and Emily gave him a death glare. "Sorry." Luke took Lorelai's hand and pulled her off of the couch.

"We should probably get going," he said and Rory wanted to laugh, but decided against it and ran to her mother's side. Everybody else was up now too, except Gigi, who had just about fallen asleep in her seat. "Hospital, that's where we should be going to the hospital. We should... and leave... hospital."

"Luke, breathe. I'm the one in labor, so you need to drive, meaning, you have to calm down," Lorelai said, panting for breath. Luke nodded and walked towards the door. Everybody followed them outside and got into their own cars.

"Marie, get rid of dinner," Emily called out as she ran out of her house with the rest of the dinner party.

"Mom, we'll meet you guys there. OK?" Rory asked standing at her mother's side. Lorelai nodded and sat down in her seat. Luke put her seatbelt on her and ran around to the driver's seat. Rory sat in the driver's seat of her car, while Jess sat down in the passenger's seat. "Oh my god. This is a lot to handle."

"Yeah. We should get going, though. Everybody else has left while we're sitting in your grandparents' driveway. Your baby brother is coming," Jess told her. She smiled at the thought and sped out of the driveway.

When they got to the hospital, they found Christopher, Gigi, Emily, and Richard in the waiting room. "Where is she?" Rory asked as soon as she saw them.

"She's getting checked and everything. We can't see her for a little while. Luke is with her now," Christopher told her. Rory nodded and took Jess' hand so that he would sit down with her. Jess sat next to her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Well, this was an eventful dinner," Rory said and everybody, except Emily laughed a little. "Grandma, are you alright?"

"Yes, of course I'm alright. I'm nervous about Lorelai and the baby. She wasn't suspecting this to happen just yet. She hasn't even thought of names for him yet," Emily responded, sitting next to Richard, who was holding her hand.

"Her and Luke will think of something. They've been thinking of names forever," Jess told them. Emily nodded.

"So, Jess your in love with my daughter?" Christopher asked, out of the blue. Everybody whipped their heads in his direction, except Gigi who was successfully asleep in the chair beside him.

"Yes," he stated calmly and confidently.

"Well, at least you have good taste." Rory felt the blood rush to her face and her cheeks turn into a full blown blush.

"Thank you," Jess said, not as confidently. He wasn't sure where Christopher was going with this conversation.

Christopher looked next to him at his sleeping daughter. "I want to finish this conversation with you, but I have to get Gigi home," he told Jess. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too, sir," Jess said as Christopher walked over to a now standing Rory.

"Bye Sweetie," he said to her. She hugged him.

"Bye Dad, I'll talk to you later. Don't wait too long to get in touch with me, K?"

"You got it. Say bye to your mom for me."

"I will. I'll call you later with details," she said to him before he picked up Gigi and left the hospital, but not before bidding goodbye to Emily and Richard.

After Christopher left, everybody who was left sat quietly waiting for the OK to see Lorelai. Richard looked as if he were about to fall asleep, so Rory struck up a conversation to keep him awake. "Grandpa?" She asked and his head shot up. "Did I tell you about the job I'm starting next week?"

"No, Rory. You didn't. Where is it? Will you be doing the same thing you were doing at the _New York Times_?" He asked, fixing his position in his seat to look more presentable.

"Yes. I'm working at the _Stamford Eagle-Gazette_. I'm-," she was cut off by her grandmother.

"Doesn't Logan's father own that paper?" She asked. Jess looked at her, confused, but didn't voice his question.

"Yes, Grandma. Mitchum Huntzberger does own that paper. But, it's one of his smaller papers, he's not there often," she assured them. She didn't want to talk about Logan or his family. But these _were_ her grandparents.

"Well, have you talked to Logan since the break-up?" Emily asked her, and she suppressed a sigh and squeezed Jess' hand in apology.

"Yes, actually. We talked a little after he moved to London. And he called me sometime last year when he moved back here, but that was the last time I spoke to him. I think that he said he was moving to California. I don't really remember," she explained, hoping that would be enough information to tide them over.

"That's nice. I'm sure that Logan enjoys it in California. Your father liked it while he lived over there," Richard told her and she smiled.

"I'm going to go get some coffee. Would anybody else like some?"

"I'll take one, Rory," Emily told her and she nodded at him and turned to Jess.

"Do you want to help me with those?" She asked.

"Sure," he told her. "We'll be back in a minute." Jess stood up and took Rory's hand before they started walking towards the cafeteria. "So, Logan?"

"Yeah, my ex-boyfriend. My grandparents are like his biggest fan, it's kind of disgusting. They've known his parents forever," she explained.

"So you dated a socialite? Doesn't seem like you," he told her, not trying to be judgmental, just honest.

"It was me then. I dated him for like a year and a half before he moved to London. We tried the long distance thing, but my heart wasn't in it, so we decided to stay 'friends'. It was a long time ago."

"Yeah, must be."

"Sorry that you got bombarded with that. I didn't think that they knew that Mitchum owned it."

"It's alright. I know you have a past, Ror," he told her as they approached the coffee vending machine. "Should we get your grandfather a cup just in case?"

"Probably." Rory put enough money in the machine for four cups of coffee and gave two to Jess. They walked back into the waiting room to where her grandparents were. "Grandpa, we got you a cup too, just in case." She gave him a cup while Jess gave Emily one.

"Thank you," they said in unison.

"Luke came out. He said that we could go in and see your mother, but we thought that you would like to see her first," Richard told her.

"OK, thanks," she said to him. "I won't take long, I'm sure you guys want to see her." They nodded and Rory left Jess alone with her grandparents, but she wasn't really worried. She walked into her mom's room to see Lorelai and Luke laughing about something. "Hey guys," she said as she closed the door.

"Honey, I'm having a baby!" Lorelai yelled as Rory ran over to her bedside and sat next to her.

"I know. I am _so _excited for you guys. This is so surreal, I can't believe that you went into labor at Grandma and Grandpa's house."

"It was all a part of my master plan. You know, ruin their rug, it was my gift to them," Lorelai responded, an evil smile playing on her face.

"Oh, well I'm sure that they'll appreciate it," Rory said. "So, think of any names yet? That seems to be the biggest worry on Grandma's mind."

"We haven't thought of anything yet," Luke answered. "We will though. I'm going to see if Jess is still alive."

"OK, tell them I'll be out in a minute, please?" Rory asked. Luke nodded and left them alone. "So have _you _thought of any names yet?"

"No, I still want Luke to name him. I asked him if he wanted to name him William, you know after his father, but he said that he anted him to have his own name. I don't know what to name him, but we should probably pick one soon."

"Yeah, probably. Mom, I'm going to go get Luke and tell them that they can come in, OK?"

"Of course. You will be the first one to know when the baby is born. Bye my one and only daughter," Lorelai said as Rory kissed her on the cheek.

"Bye Mom. I love you. Good luck," Rory said. She got off of Lorelai's bed and left the room. She walked back into the nearly silent waiting room and Emily and Richard saw her. "You guys can go in now." They stood up and smiled as they walked past Rory.

Rory went to sit next to Jess on the side where Luke wasn't sitting. "I should probably go in there to make sure that your mother doesn't kill _her _mother," Luke said and stood up.

"How's Luke doing?" Rory asked Jess once Luke was out of earshot.

"He is so nervous. He doesn't think that he can do it, he is so sure that he'll fail as a father. I kind of feel bad for him," Jess told her.

"I think he just needs to experience it. He was a better father to me then my dad ever was. I think he can do it and I think he'll do a great job," Rory told him. "Hey Jess?"

"Yeah?" He asked, turning to look at her.

"I'm going to be a big sister in a little while. That's a scary thought. He's going to look up to me, he's going to be a part of my family. That's weird."

"One: You already are a big sister. Two: If he looks up to you, it's not a bad view. Three: I don't know what to say about having a new part of the family, but I'm sure that it will be great."

"I never really got to know Gigi. It will be OK though. Jeez, I sound like I'm the one about to give birth. I'm crazy, and you're even crazier for putting up with my craziness."

"Yeah, I know. I'm crazy just for understanding what you just said. You'll be OK, Luke will be OK, Lorelai will be OK. Everything is going to be good."

"Thank you," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. He placed his hand on her neck to deepen the kiss. She responded, but when Emily and Richard walked in the room, Richard ruined the moment by coughing, causing Rory and Jess to pull away from each other. Rory's face was red with embarrassment, and when Jess saw her he contained his laughter.

"Your mother has been moved into the delivery room. She asked us to tell you. We'll be in the cafeteria; we're getting some more coffee. Would you like some?" Emily asked, coldly.

"Yes please," Rory answered, practically shrinking in her seat. They left and Jess started laughing hysterically, making Rory shrink down more and punch him in the chest.


	40. The End Part I

**AN: Sorry it took so long to get this on. Okay, so I lied this isn't the _last _chapter, but it is the first part of THE END. Read, review, enjoy!**

"You know, after you weren't at Mom and Luke's wedding, I never thought that I'd see you again," Rory told Jess, still sitting in the waiting area of the hospital.

"After I decided not to go to their wedding, I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to see you again, but I couldn't let my feelings for you get in the way of their wedding. I was going to go, but Luke and I both decided that it'd be for the best that I missed it. I did regret it though, because I wanted to see you so badly and I also wanted to see Luke get married," he told her and she looked over at her sleeping grandparents before leaning over the arm of her chair to kiss him softly.

"I really wish that you had come. Even though I had just ended things with Logan a few months before, seeing you then would have sped this up," she told him waving her hand between them. Jess nodded sadly. They had been waiting for Luke to tell them about the baby for sometime and Rory decided that they should talk about the way they felt about what they had.

"Absence _does _make the heart grow fonder. I had some idea that we would end up finding each other again, though. We always have, _always_. You were the one girl that I have ever truly loved, so that had to mean something."

"From the time that I was sixteen, I've almost always had a boyfriend. That was until freshman year, I never dated that year. I didn't date after you until I met Logan. So, I also knew that there was something to be finished between us, like unfinished business. I wouldn't be completely happy until I finished it. Us being together is the happy ending that I never knew I wanted until, really, the night I showed up at your apartment."

"Took you that long to figure it out?" He asked her, looking at her softly.

"It took me that long to _completely _figure it out. It was always there somewhere, I just needed to find it," she explained to him. He was about to say something just as Luke skidded into the room causing them to look up and away from each other. "Well?" Rory asked, causing her grandparents to wake up and stand from their chairs. Rory and Jess also stood up, Rory slowly walking toward Luke, who was panting from his run.

"Okay," he breathed, standing up straight and looking directly at his in-laws. "He's here. He's really small, six pounds and two ounces, eighteen inches. He still doesn't have a name." He looked towards Rory who was smiling brightly beside a smirking Jess. "She wants to see you as soon as possible. I'll come get you whenever that is. Don't worry, they're both perfect." He smiled once at Emily and Richard before calmly walking back to his wife and son.

"Good news, that makes me feel so much better," Emily stated, sitting back down with Richard.

"This is very true, Grandma," Rory told her, before turning to look at Jess. "I have a baby brother," she whispered in his ear as she put her arms around his neck for a hug.

"Yeah, you do. I have a cousin, pretty damn weird how that works out," he whispered, back before kissing her cheek and pulling her to the chairs so that she would sit. She laughed a little before she plopped back down, making sure that Jess was sitting right next to her.

"I wonder what he'll end up naming him. Last I heard, he had no idea," Rory said aloud, for everyone to hear.

"Why does he get to name the baby?" Emily asked.

"Mom gave all naming rights to him. She doesn't know anything about boys and their names, so she left it up to someone who probably knows more than she does," Rory explained and Emily nodded.

"He doesn't have any idea either though," Jess told them and Richard chuckled from next to Emily.

"I wouldn't either," he said to Jess and Jess also chuckled, doing his best not to be rude. Everybody fell into a comfortable silence, but Rory was getting anxious. Jess kept looking over at her while she shook her leg, her hand, her fingers, anything that would shake, she shook basically. She was trying her hardest to sit and wait for Luke calmly and quietly... it wasn't working.

"Rory, calm down. You'll see her as soon as possible. Luke said that both she and the baby were fine," Jess told her as he put a hand on her knee to stop it from shaking.

"Yes, Rory, all is well. You should sit and wait in a calmly manner. Luke should be out in a little while to tell you that Lorelai is ready to see you," Richard told her. She took a deep breath and smiled across at him and sat back in her seat, the shaking being over with.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Rory said to him and he nodded his head with a slight smile, easing back into his own seat. Rory looked next to her at Jess, who was looking through a _Highlights _magazine. "Good reading?"

He looked up from the pages and gave her a small smirk. "It _is_ actually," he told her and she laughed. He put the magazine on the table next to his chair and sat up, still looking at Rory. She gave him a small smile before putting her head on his shoulder. He kissed it quickly, but she jerked her head away as Luke came back into the waiting room.

"Can I see her now?" She asked, jumping from her seat. Luke nodded with a smile. Rory threw her arms around his neck and whispered, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Luke told her as she pulled away. She smiled at him and walked past him to the room he had just left.

When she got into her mother's room, Lorelai was holding the newborn while a nurse looked on. Lorelai looked up to see Rory standing in the doorway with a huge smile on her face. "Has Luke given him a name yet?" She asked as she walked to sit in a chair placed next to the bed.

"Yes, he has. It fits him too. I told him not to tell you, because I wanted to be the one to formally introduce my daughter to my son," she explained. Rory nodded and reached out to touch her brother's hand.

She looked from the baby to her mother. "Well, what's this name that fits him so well?" Rory asked.

"Travis Richard Danes," Lorelai said with a beaming smile.

"Travis. I like it. It definitely fits him. Congratulations, Mom," Rory said.

"Thanks. Do you want to hold him?" She asked her daughter. Rory looked at her mother and nodded silently. The nurse walked over to Travis and carefully picked him up from Lorelai's arms and placed him in Rory's arms.

The nurse stepped back. "Mrs. Danes, you should both be getting some rest. I'll be back in a few minutes to bring him to the nursery, okay?" She asked. Lorelai looked from her kids to the nurse and nodded happily.

"After you bring him, can I have a few minutes alone with my daughter? I need to talk to her."

"Of course. I'll be back _very_ soon," the nurse said before quietly exiting.

"He's perfect," Rory said to her mother.

"Yeah, he is. You are too, don't forget," Lorelai said and Rory smiled.

"This is amazing. You have a baby. I have a baby brother. Luke has a son. Jess has a cousin. This is so crazy, yet perfect at the same time. How does it feel to be a new mother?"

"Like you said: Perfect. It feels right, comfortable, incredible. I'm still a little scared though, but I think that Luke and I can handle it. We have so many people willing to help us out. I mean, we have you, Sookie, I assume Jess, and my parents seem pretty gung-ho in helping out too, so I'm not as worried as I was before."

"I don't think that you have anything to worry about." Rory heard the nurse open the door from behind her and kissed Travis softly on the forehead. "Bye Baby Brother," she said. Lorelai looked on and watched the nurse take him to the nursery, smiling all the while. "So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

Lorelai snapped her head back to look at Rory and she had a mischievous smile on her face. "Well, I've been thinking a lot about your future."

"You just gave birth, and you're thinking about _my _future?"

"Yes. So, what do you see for your future?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Why?"

"Is Jess in it? I mean, I would think so, but I don't really know for sure," Lorelai said, causing Rory to become even more confused.

"Yeah, he's definitely in it. But I'm still confused as to why you're asking me this now. You have so much other things that are more important to worry about at the moment. Mom, you should be worrying about Travis' future, not mine."

"I have plenty of time to worry about Travis' future, but your future is so much closer than his is. Don't you want to get married and have your own kids?"

"Of course I do, Mom. But Jess and I just moved in together, we've only been together for six months and-"

"And you've never been happier. We all know that I don't like Jess very much, but I see the way the two of you are together, the way you look at each other. I would give anything to see you finally settle down with him, because for seven years, maybe more, you've never stopped loving him."

"I know all of this, Mom. I was the one that lived it. But as of right now, I don't think we're ready for that kind of thing. Sorry," she told her mother.

"Don't be sorry, just don't wait too long. Can you get my parents in here before they don't allow me anymore visitors?"

"Yeah. Bye Mom. Congratulations," Rory said before kissing Lorelai's forehead and leaving the room. She walked into the waiting room to see Luke, Jess, Emily, and Richard sitting quietly. "Grandma, Grandpa, Mom would like to see you. They put Travis in the nursery, but she needs to get some rest, so she wants to see you before they start kicking people out." Everybody looked up at her and Emily and Richard stood together.

"Thank you, Rory," Emily said, walking past her, and Richard trailing closely behind her.

Rory looked at the two remaining people staring up at her and then directly at Luke. "Luke, can I, um, talk to you for a second?" She asked and then looked at Jess. "Privately?"

Luke looked from Rory to Jess and then back at Rory before saying, "Sure." He stood up and followed her down the hall, so that they were far enough that Jess couldn't hear. "What's going on?"

"Um, nothing really. I was just wondering if, by any chance, my mom told you what she was going to talk to me about," Rory said, playing with her fingers.

"About her wanting you and Jess to get married?" Luke asked, nervously.

"That'd be what I was referring to, yes," Rory told him.

"Why are you asking?"

"I just want to know what you, as my stepfather and his uncle, think of that idea at this moment in time."

"I told her that I think it's a little too soon for you guys to get married. I think that, eventually, it would be amazing. I have no idea what you're thinking or what Jess is thinking and I'm not about to go out there and ask him. So, what _are _youthinking?" Luke asked, leaning against the wall.

Rory also leaned against the wall and took a deep breath while she thought about her answer. "I think," she started and took another breath, "that if he were to ask me, that I would definitely say yes. But, I don't think that he's going to be asking anytime soon, so it's definitely best to wait."

"You don't think he's going to ask?"

"No, not yet. Why? Did he say something?"

"No."

"Luke."

"Rory."

"OK, he didn't say anything. If he did, you would be much more nervous than you are right now. I know you, and I trust you. You can go now. See your wife, your in-laws, your son."

"Thank you," Luke said before patting her shoulder and walking back towards Lorelai's room.

Rory waited a few seconds before walking into the waiting room where Jess was sitting alone. "What was that about?" Jess asked as Rory took her seat next to him.

"Oh, Mom wanted me to ask him to do something and I wasn't sure if I could do it in front of anyone. It's not important," she lied. Jess accepted the answer. "Are my grandparents still in there with her?"

"Yeah. Luke just went in there too. They've been in there for a while, and I'm assuming that your mom needs her rest, so they should be out soon."

"They should be, yeah," Rory said to him. "This is a big day."

"It's is. You should be more excited," Jess told her.

"I'm extremely excited. I'm just thinking about some stuff," she said, but changed the subject quickly. "Want to go to the nursery and see Travis?"

"Um, sure," Jess answered. They stood up and followed the arrows until they were standing in front of the nursery window. "Which one is he?"

"He's the third one from the left, second row. You know, the one that says 'Travis Richard Danes,'" she said, pointing him out. "He's pretty perfect, isn't he?"

"He's not the only one," Jess answered, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her into the side of his body. Rory leaned her head up to give him a soft kiss and then gave him a hug while resting her head on his chest. "Your grandparents are coming," he said into her hair. She pulled away from him to see her grandparents and Luke walking towards them.

"Hi," she said as they stood next to her.

"We wanted to see the baby before we went home," Richard explained as he followed Luke's finger that was pointing at Travis. "He _is _a tiny one."

"Yes, he is," Emily agreed, a smile growing on her face. "He's a beautiful baby." Rory nodded from her place in between Jess and Emily. Richard turned to face them both.

"We should really get going. We already said goodbye to your mother. We have to get another dinner soon," he said to Rory.

She turn to face him also with a smile. "Of course, Grandpa. We'll see you soon," she told him as she walked towards him. They hugged for a few seconds and then she turned to Emily. "Bye Grandma."

"Goodbye Rory," she said, accepting a hug. When she pulled away from her, she turned to Jess. "It was nice to see you again."

"You too, Mrs. Gilmore," he told her and she smiled, walking towards the exit. "Goodbye Mr. Gilmore."

"It's Richard. It was nice to meet you Jess," Richard answered, offering his hand. Jess accepted it with a nod. Richard now turned to look at his son-in-law. "Congratulations Luke."

"Thank you, Richard," he said. Richard nodded and looked into the nursery one last time before following his wife. "So, how long do you think you'll be here?" Luke asked Rory and Jess.

"We should go to the diner soon, it will be just Lane and Caesar," Jess told him and his face showed realization.

"Yeah, you should be going. Maybe you two could go see Lorelai before you go though," Luke suggested.

"Sure, we'll go to the gift shop and meet you in her room in a little while, okay?" Rory asked him. Luke shook his head. "Okay, we'll see you in a little while then. Bye."

"Bye," Luke said. Rory walked towards the gift shop with Jess following closely next to her. He rested his arm around the familiar spot of her shoulders.

"Why are we going to the gift shop? Jess asked Rory as the gift shop came into sight.

"We need to bring Mom and Travis something before we leave. I'm just lucky that you're coming with me, because if I were alone, I would try and buy way too much. I already know that Travis is going to be spoiled," she said as they walked into the small shop.

They walked around for at least a half an hour, Rory picking up almost everything that a newborn boy could possibly use. "Rory, we should probably get going. Lane and Caesar need us at the diner and your mom needs to rest, so we should go say goodbye to her. Plus, you have a lot of stuff. Come on," Jess said leading her towards the register.

"Okay, let me just get Mom some chocolate," she told him and he nodded. She reached for the chocolate and picked up two Hershey bars. "Okay, I'm ready." They walked the rest of the way to the register and paid for their purchases.

When they were finished paying, they walked back to Lorelai's room in a comfortable silence. Rory was still thinking about what Lorelai said to her, about her and Jess getting married, and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it. Did she want Jess to propose now? Did she want to do what Lorelai did and propose? Did she want to see where life would take them? She wasn't sure yet.


	41. The End Part II

**AN: Okay, so here it is. The FINAL chapter of _Only You_. Thank you so much for everybody that stuck through till the end. I'm glad that you liked it. I'm not sure if this last chapter is up to snuff, but I did the best that I could. It took me a long time to figure out how to wrap it up, and hopefully this chapter does it justice. **

**And for everyone who wants to know whether or not there will be a sequel, the answer is YES. It's going to be called _Forever You and Me _and it should be up ASAP! Anyways... Enjoy this last chapter and please tell me all of your thoughts...**

About a week after Travis was born was the same weekend that Paris, Tristan, Sarah, and Dave were coming to Stars Hollow. Rory had been running around the house, when she wasn't at work or at her mother's, trying to make it look presentable. Both her and Jess made their new home as welcoming as possible for two busy twenty-five year olds. They both enjoyed their new jobs and their new living arrangement, but Jess still didn't like the fact that they were in Stars Hollow, renting from his mother. He was happy about one thing though: neither him nor Rory had bumped into Dean since the move.

The Friday of their friends arrival was exciting. Rory was so happy to have them come to Stars Hollow and see how happy she was. Jess was just happy to see anybody but the people from Stars Hollow who he had been serving at the diner since Travis was born. Him and Lorelai had just been brought home by Luke on Saturday, and already, at nine days old, he was spoiled by his big sister and grandparents. So, the day of their friends' arrival, they would all have dinner, along with Brian, Lane and Zach, at Lorelai's and Luke's (and Travis') house. Rory had spent quite a bit of time with Lane and Zach since she had moved back to Stars Hollow, most time was spent in the diner while Lane was on break and Jess was working. Lane was nervous about having her first love (Dave), and her last love (Zach) together again, with Dave's girlfriend, and the fact that Dave and Zach had a lot of catching up to do. Zach was excited to see Dave and have their whole band together again, even though _Hep Alien_ had Gil.

Sarah was very excited to see Stars Hollow for the first time. Dave was excited to see the band and go back to Stars Hollow. Paris was excited to see where Rory and Jess were living and how they were doing. Tristan was excited to be spending time with his friends. In their last few months in the city, Jess and Dave had become just as close with Tristan as they were with each other, which made spending time together so much easier. Excitement was just booming out of everyone.

Jess didn't care what his friends thought about his life or his house, but he knew that Rory did, so he was helping her pick up the living room when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" He asked, sitting on the couch, pulling Rory with him.

"Dude, it's Tristan. We're almost in Stars Hollow, but the girls are starving, so do you want to meet us at your uncle's diner?" Tristan asked over the phone.

"Yeah. We're at the house right now, but we can be there in a couple of minutes. Okay?" Jess asked.

"Sure. Alright, I'm going to let you go. See you in a little while. Bye," and then Tristan hung up, shortly followed by Jess.

"So, that was Tristan. He said that they want to meet us at Luke's soon. They're almost here and the girls are hungry. So, ready to go?" Jess asked an exhausted Rory, sitting next to him.

"Okay, let's go," she answered, standing up and brushing off her jeans. Jess stood up also and followed her out of the house. "Let's drive so that we can show them to the Dragonfly after," she suggested once they were both outside.

"That's fine with me," he answered, walking over to his car which was parked behind Rory's. He sat in the driver's seat while Rory sat in the passenger's seat. "What's wrong? You were excited about this weekend, now you don't seem it," Jess pointed out as he drove out of the driveway.

"Oh, Jess. I'm still excited, I'm just tired I guess. Don't worry about it. I'm sure that once we're all together, plus some more, I'll be as awake as ever," she assured him, placing her hand on his thigh and her head against the window.

"Okay," he returned, skeptically. They drove to the diner quietly, but Rory kept contact while her hand stayed on his thigh. When they pulled up to the diner, they could already see Tristan's SUV and their four friends in the diner talking with Lane.

"Let's go," Rory said excitedly, removing her hand from Jess's thigh and opening the car door.

"Wait a second," Jess said, pulling her back into the car.

"What? Is there something on me?" She asked, glancing down at her body.

"Not yet," he answered, just before he kissed her. She let out a small laugh into his kiss and then kissed him back. As she pulled back, Jess tried to catch her lips again, but she stopped him with her hand on his chest.

"Our friends are in there and we're on the side of the road. Despite how badly we both want to unwind into a nice make-out session, we can't," she said sadly, and she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before they both got out of the car. She waited for barely a second as he rounded the car and placed his arm around her back and rested his hand on her hip.

They walked into Luke's smiling at the sight of their friends sitting at the counter and Sarah was the first to notice them. Rory got out of Jess's grasp and met Sarah in the middle of the diner for a huge hug. Tristan, Paris, and Dave were now standing up also. Jess was giving 'manly' hugs to Tristan and Dave while Sarah and Rory were still squeezing each other tightly. Rory's eyes lit up when she saw Paris standing behind Sarah. She let go of Sarah and her and Paris shared a hug, much less intense.

"Oh, guys! I've missed you so much!" Rory said as they walked back to the counter to sit.

"Rory, you have _no _idea," Sarah said, sitting in between Rory and Dave. The six people sitting at the counter all looked towards the stairs once they heard footsteps. Rory sighed when she saw Luke turn behind the counter to stare at them. He started with Paris, who was sitting next to Tristan, who was sitting next to Dave, who was sitting next to Sarah, who was sitting next to Rory, who was sitting next to Jess, and he forced a smile.

"Luke, what are you doing here? Go home to your wife and your son," Jess told him with exhaustion. Luke had been spending every free second, that should be spent sleeping, at the diner. "Go sleep or something. You look like crap."

"Gee, thanks Jess," Luke said, leaning against the counter and through the window. A small, almost evil, smile appeared on his face.

"What?" Paris asked, watching Luke's face. She followed his gaze and a very similar smile also appeared on her face. After Luke's and Paris' silence, everyone else started a conversation on how they had been, oblivious to what Luke was silenced at in the first place. The bell above the door signaled a new customer and it also signaled everyone to see who that new customer was.

"Well, Bagboy, I never thought that I'd see you again," Tristan exclaimed as Dean walked into the diner, a scowl, similar to Jess's, on his face.

"Oh my god," Rory said under her breath. All six of them were turned to face the door and their backs were leaning against the counter as Luke stood behind watching and waiting to possibly break up a fight or two, and Dean stood in front of them, clearly pissed.

Sarah, completely confused turned to Dave "Who is that?" She asked quietly while Dean kept looking from Tristan to Rory to Jess.

"Dean," he whispered back, also interested to see where this confrontation was headed. Tristan's amused smirk, Jess's scowl, and Dean's scowl all seemed to blend together in Rory's eyes. Why did he have to start trouble? She was happy, she was enjoying the company of her friends, and all of a sudden a jealous ex-boyfriend barges into her stepfather's diner to piss off a close friend and her boyfriend. Paris made sure to watch Tristan closely to make sure that he didn't make a fool out of anybody. Sarah made sure to keep a close eye on Rory to make sure that she wasn't fuming or on the verge of a breakdown.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tristan?" Dean spat out.

"I'm just here with some close friends and my girlfriend, Bagboy."

"Which one would you be dating? The squeaky one?" Dean asked, pointing to Sarah, causing her to gasp and Dave to get a defensive scowl on his face. "Or Paris?" He laughed, disgusted.

"Don't talk about them like they're lower than you, asshole," Jess said from his seat, causing all faces to turn towards him. "Jeez Dean, go home. Don't come to a public place to start trouble with a couple of guys that you hate and who hate you just the same." Just then, Lane came from the storage room and she gasped.

"I'm gone five minutes and I come back and apparently Hell has frozen over," she mumbled, walking to stand next to Luke, who's just as pissed at Dean as Jess is.

"Dean, get the hell out of my diner," he finally says. Dean leaves after a second of hesitation and everybody watches him walk away until he's turned the corner and out of sight. "Okay, so, I'm going home now. I'll see you all later," he added before walking around the counter and leaving the diner.

"Okay. That's a great start to our weekend," Rory stated as she turned around to face Lane.

"Are you okay?" Lane asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she stated as everybody else turned to face Lane.

"Okay," Lane said. She looked at the group as a whole. "What can I get you guys to eat?" Everybody put their order in. All of them talked about what had been going on with each other in the last few days while they waited for their food and while they ate it. The diner was quiet and Lane had joined the conversation. The seven of them clicked so well. They were all completely different and totally crazy in their own ways, but they made it work.

After they had all eaten, Paris announced that she needed to take a shower. "Okay, we'll drive to the inn. You guys can follow behind us," Rory suggested, finishing off her coffee.

"Oh, that sounds great. I'm really tired," Sarah announced. Dave nodded in agreement and Tristan smiled at the idea.

"Okay, then we should get going," Tristan said. Everybody stood up.

"Bye, Lane. We'll see you and Zach tonight at dinner," Dave said, pulling Sarah from her stool.

"Bye guys. See you later," Lane said as she went into the kitchen, smiling at them all. They all got up and walked through the diner's door until they reached the sidewalk.

"Okay, so we'll see you in a little while," Jess said while everyone stood at the cars.

"Alright, see you then," Dave said before opening the back door for him and Sarah. Jess opened Rory's door for her and then closed it once she was sitting in the passenger's seat. He walked around to the driver's side and got in before he pulled out in front of Tristan in the direction of the Dragonfly.

"So, are you sure that you're alright? I mean, that whole Dean thing probably exhausted you more than you already were," Jess said once they were sure that Tristan was following close behind.

"Oh yeah. I'm definitely more exhausted, but I'm fine. I'm just mad that he's so insensitive. He ruined a perfectly nice moment and he made an ass out of himself. I sort of feel bad for him," she admitted.

"I don't. But maybe that's because my hate for him is too strong," he joked as they pulled into the Dragonfly parking lot.

"Yeah, that could be it," she said as she opened her door. "Come on."

He too got out of the car as Tristan, Paris, Dave, and Sarah got out of Tristan's SUV. He walked next to Rory and waited for their friends to walk up to them. "Okay, so welcome to the Dragonfly," Rory announce as they walked up to her and Jess. She gestured with her hands towards the historical building in front of them.

"It's even more beautiful than all of the pictures," Sarah stated in awe. "I usually hate that saying, but it's true when it comes to this place. It's amazing. I can't wait to see the inside."

"Yeah me too. Oh, I cannot wait to get into my room and take a nice warm shower. So, shall we?" Paris asked to no one in particular, but started walking away. Everyone followed, except Tristan who chased to walk next to her. By the time the six others had reached the door of the inn, Paris and Tristan were chatting it up with Michel about their room assignments.

"Rory, she is your friend. Please make her stop talking to me," Michel said once Rory reached the front desk.

"I got this Michel. You can go take a break. I'll handle their rooms and come get you when they're gone. Okay?" She asked, walking behind the desk and looking through the book of reservations.

"Fine. I will be in the kitchen with Sookie. She wants to talk with you anyways," Michel said before staggering past them all and down the hall that leads to the kitchen.

"I like him," Dave stated with a smirk.

"Yeah, he's got a good attitude. I love his accent too," Sarah agreed.

"He's really a nice guy once you get to know him," Rory assured them once she found their room keys. "Okay, Paris and Tristan," she said, handing them their key, "you are in room seven. Sarah and Dave," she said, giving them their key, "you are in room nine."

"Thanks. We're going to head up now. We'll see you later tonight," Tristan said as Paris walked by them to the stairs.

"Yeah, we're heading up to. Call me later once everything is finalized, 'kay?" Sarah asked.

"Sure. I'll make sure to do that. I hope you like your room," Rory answered before Sarah and Dave walked up the stairs. "To the kitchen," Rory said, looking at Jess who nodded and smirked. They walked into the kitchen together, Rory searching for Michel. "Michel. They're upstairs now. You can go back out."

"Thank you," he state before leaving. Jess leaned against the counter in the middle of the room and popped a blueberry in his mouth as Sookie turned out of the refrigerator.

"Hey honey. Can I talk to you about something really quick?" She asked once she spotted Rory standing in front of Jess.

"Sure. What's up, Sook?" She asked.

"Well, I'm a little nervous that your mom is rushing into this dinner. I mean, her and Travis have only been home for a few days and with all of us coming over there tonight, I think it's too much for her to handle so soon," Sookie revealed.

"I was thinking that too actually. I tried to talk her out of it and tell that we'd do it some other time, but she's set with having it at her house. I feel bad. I don't want Travis to get sick or anything from all of those people," Rory told her and Jess listened on.

"Why don't we have the dinner at our place? She can bring over the food we were going to have at her place and have everyone over our house. Luke can stay home with Trav," Jess suggested. "I mean, he's not exactly one for large crowds anyways."

"That's actually a really good idea. I was just going to bring all of the food. I'll bring it to your place instead. Is that Tokay with you, Rory?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah. Can you call and tell her the change of plans? I'll make sure to call Lane, Paris, and Sarah with directions and details. Sound good?" Rory asked to make sure.

"Perfect, Sweetie. I'll see you tonight," Sookie said. Rory smiled and left the kitchen, Jess following behind her.

"Great idea, Jess," Rory said sweetly once they had reached his car and gotten in.

"I tend to have a few here and there," he stated as he drove off towards their house.

"I'm going to call Sarah and inform her of the change of plans. She can tell Paris and then I'll call Lane," she announced as she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Sarah's cell phone number and it went straight to voicemail. "Hey Sarah, it's me, Rory. I was just calling to tell you that dinner is now at mine and Jess' place. Please tell Paris and Dave and Tristan. So, call me when you get this, so that I can give you directions. Okay, bye."

"Call Lane later. We're almost home and you're half asleep," Jess told her as he turned onto their street.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I am totally taking a nap once we get into that house. Are you going to join me?" She asked once they were sitting in the driveway.

"Yeah. Of course," he answered, getting out of the car at the same time Rory did. They walked to the door and opened it immediately, due to the fact that it was only locked when they slept. When they got into their bedroom, Rory kicked off her shoes and got underneath the covers as quickly as possible. She waited for Jess to do the same, and when he had, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his hand on her stomach. He kissed the crown of her head and they fell asleep.

She awoke to the sound of Jess' whispering voice behind her. He still had his arm around her wait, but he was on the phone. She squirmed in his arms and turned around so that she was facing him. "Okay, I have to go. I'll see you later," Jess said once he saw her blue eyes staring at him.

"Who was that?" She asked sleepily.

"Lane. She called to find out what time to be at Lorelai's and Luke's, so I told her about the change of plans. Sarah also called about half an hour ago. I told her the directions. Everything is all set," he reported back to her. "They'll be here a six."

"And Mr. Mariano, would you be so kind to tell me the time as of right now."

"Well, my dear, it is four o'clock in the afternoon. We slept for a good two and a half hours."

"Not nearly enough, but I suppose that there are so much better things that we could fill our time with."

"Hm, I like the way that you think. But, could I possibly run something past you first?" Jess asked as he sat up on the bed and held both of her hands in his own.

"Sure, what's up?" She asked, obviously intrigued.

"Well, I think that we should make an announcement tonight at dinner," he said softly.

"What kind of an announcement. We have nothing to announce," she told him, still confused, but he was displaying that gorgeous smirk that made her melt, so she kept smiling.

"I think that we should announce us getting married," he said, watching her closely. On the outside, she stayed the same, clearly confused. But, on the inside, her brain was throwing hundreds of questions out.

"But we're not getting married," she said quietly.

"Well," he started, taking a small box out of his pocket. "I say that we put a change to that." She nodded, with tears welling up in her eyes, signaling for him to continue. He took a deep breath and did so. "Will you, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, marry me, and make me, not only the best looking guy ever, but the luckiest also?" He asked. He wanted to keep it light, but also wanted to make the moment memorable.

He opened the small box that he had taken out earlier, and she looked down into it, staring directly at a beautiful square cut diamond, on a platinum band, with a sapphire on each side of the diamond. She gasped and looked back into his eyes. He was nervous, she could tell. She finally let the tears fall freely.

"Yes, Jess Mariano, I will marry you," she said confidently. He smiled at her and kissed her hard, while he guided the ring onto her left ring finger. She pulled away from his kiss, and rested his chin on his shoulder while he hugged her. "We're getting married," she whispered.

"Yes we are," he said proudly, kissing her shoulder. "Me and you, for the rest of our lives. I love you, Rory Gilmore."

"I love you too, Jess Mariano."


End file.
